Batman & Benson 7
by Mcfergeson
Summary: While the forces of the OHMR draw their dragnet tighter upon them every day, Olivia and The Dark Knight must contend with a strange new threat that stalks the skies above Gotham City. With enemies attacking from all sides, will Olivia and Batman survive?
1. Chapter 1

_Law & Order: SVU is created by Dick Wolf and is owned by NBC/Universal. Batman and the Bat-universe was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger, and is owned by DC Comics. I'm no making any money from this story, nor do I claim any possession over these characters. _

_This story is rated MA for adult themes and because it's pretty dark and wild and creepy. So strap yourselves in, boys and girls, and keep your hands inside the ride at all times. _

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter One**

He awoke in darkness.

He hung upside-down, with his arms crossed tightly over his bare chest. He took a deep breath and opened the wide, obsidian orbs that were his eyes. He was used to the darkness, and could normally see very easily in the dimness, but the area he was contained in was pitch black, with nary a light source anywhere. He could not see anything.

He let out a high-pitched shriek, and his super sensitive ears immediately picked up the sound as it bounced off the walls all around him. He instantly knew that he was still confined in his cage.

Growing angry, he opened his arms, an act which unfurled his leathery wings, and let out a defiant screech.

As if in answer, he heard metal scraping against metal to his left. There was a sudden rush of cool night air. The door had opened. He was free once more.

He stretched out his arms and released the bar from the grasp of his feet. Once he dropped, his wings caught the air, and he was aloft in the night sky. As he flew over the cityscape, which was aglow with a multitude of lights, he let out another shriek, allowing his sonar-sensitive ears to get their bearings. It was good to be out. It was good to be on the hunt once more. For he was hungry.

He was _very_ hungry.

**B&B **

'I'm missing something,' the Dark Knight thought.

Parked in a darkened alleyway about a block west of Police headquarters, Batman kept his attention on the police band, which babbled softly in the background of the Tumbler's cockpit. But, according to the radio, all was quiet. There was nothing wrong.

'At least, not yet,' Batman thought, troubled.

"Something the matter?" Robin asked.

"What makes you think there's something wrong?" Batman said, genuinely curious to hear his partner's take on the situation.

"Just the fact that you've been unusually quiet," Robin replied. "Or, I should say, you've been even more quiet than usual."

Batman decided to speak aloud what was bothering him. "I'm missing something here."

Robin gave him a double take. "What? You? Seriously? Not possible. This plan of yours is foolproof!"

"No plan is ever truly foolproof, Robin," Batman solemnly said. He gazed over at police headquarters, a gleaming beacon of hope in the darkness, and mentally went over the plan in his mind. But this time, he tried to look at his plan from the outside, as if he were the enemy seeking any kinks in the armor.

Before Batman could finish his tactical review of the present situation, Robin abruptly flinched and shouted, "What the hell?"

Batman had glanced up just in time to see it: a large, dark shape had flown silently right over the roof of the Tumbler. He opened the cockpit and stood up, glaring at the winged nightmare that soared off into the darkness behind them. The Dark Knight automatically felt his body tense up, as if preparing for battle. There was a new threat in his town, and Batman wanted nothing more then to go hunt this strange creature down, throttle it by its neck, and demand to know just what the hell was it dong here in Gotham City.

When Robin saw the long, nightmarish wings that unfurled from the creature, all he could say was: "Who the hell is that, Dracula?"

Batman instinctively wanted to give chase, but whatever that creature was, it was now long gone. Besides, he and Robin already had an important mission to carry out this evening. And, for all Batman knew, that may well be the whole purpose of this creature, to draw him and Robin away from their mission.

"Shouldn't we go after it?" Robin asked.

"No, too many people are counting on us right now; we can't go hunting after something which might well be a decoy; something sent to divert us on a wild goose chase."

"But this is Ivy we're dealing with," Robin said, surprised. "Shouldn't we be expecting an attack in the form of a plant?"

"Perhaps, perhaps not. You never know what Ivy might have up her sleeve."  
>"Like what?" Robin asked with a smirk. "Plant food? Seeds?"<p>

"You haven't dealt with Poison Ivy, Robin. Never underestimate her. That was something I learned the hard way a long time ago. In any event, we should remain here on station. They will need us, should Ivy decide to-"

"Batman," Olivia's frantic voice came over the Tumbler cockpit's speakers. "Batman, come in, please!"

Batman quickly sat back down and hit a button on the dashboard. "I'm here, Liv. What's wrong, sis?"

**B&B**

As she pulled her black hair back into a pony tail and secured it in place with a rubber band, Renee Montoya realized that she was suffering from the worst case of the heebie-jeebies she'd ever had. She stood in the women's rest room on the MCS floor of Gotham City Police Headquarters, and gazed at herself in the mirrors above the row of sinks. Renee picked up her bullet proof vest from where she had placed it in the sink and strapped it on. She gently tapped the metal plate that was hidden under the layer of dark blue fabric, and wondered if this would really be enough to protect her. Because, after all, this wasn't just _any_ prisoner transfer they were doing tonight.

Samantha Spade, Renee's fellow detective in the Major Case Squad, entered the women's room and smiled nervously at her. She carried a bullet proof vest under her arm. "You ready for this?"

"Yeah," Renee said hesitantly. "At least I hope I am."

"I'm not," Sam admitted. She checked her reflection in the mirror. Her blond hair was pulled back into a pony tail, which spilled out the back of her dark blue cap that read GCPD on front in bold yellow letters. "Well, the sooner we get this crazy broad into Arkham Asylum, the sooner she'll be out of our hands."

"No longer our problem," Renee said in agreement, as she helped Sam to strap on her vest. "But we just have to get her there, first."  
>Once Sam was suited up, she glanced uneasily at herself in the mirror and said, "I still feel unprotected. You know, instead of just a vest, we should be wearing suits of armor."<p>

"I know, right?" Renee quickly agreed. "I hate dealing with these super villains! Batman catches them for us, but we still gotta put up with them. They've got to have their day in the courts; they've got to be placed in the system. Sort of makes you wish…."

When she paused, Sam turned around and gazed at her with concern. "What?"

Renee was about to say that she wished Batman had killed his opponents. It would certainly make life much more easier for all involved. But she didn't finish her dark thought, because she instantly knew it was wrong. She had been blathering again. The terrible news she had received earlier today had caught her completely off guard and put Renee in a foul mood. "I just wish Liv was with us," Renee told Sam, amending her original thought, "because then, with her here, Batman would also be with us, watching out for us."

Sam smiled at her. "Well, I've got good news. I've just heard from a little bird that Batman has been busy advising Commissioner Gordon on the route to the county lock up. They've made sure the route runs straight through the heart of town, where there's very little plant life. And wherever there _is_ a plant, or a tree, it's been removed."

"What about when we get outside of town?"

"Batman himself will be shadowing us, following us all along the route. If Ivy makes her move, she'll be dealing with the Dark Knight."

Renee nodded. She felt better knowing that the Batman would be along for the ride. But she just wished the Batman could have assuaged the gaping hole that had been torn into her heart earlier that afternoon when Christine had told Renee she had wanted a separation.

"Renee?" Sam asked with a concerned look. "You ok?"

Renee almost told her the whole story just then: that her lover, an ER doctor whom Renee loved with all of her heart, had wanted to break off their relationship. The reason Christine gave was that Renee was too damned afraid to come out about their relationship with her family and friends. Christine thought it was because Renee was ashamed of her, and the more Renee thought about it, she couldn't help but wonder if it were really true.

Because right here and now, Renee had hesitated to tell Sam the truth, and the reason for this was she felt too embarrassed; and in this instant Renee realized that Christine was right, that she was indeed ashamed.

"I still wish Liv was coming with us," Renee said dismally. "I'd really like to talk to her about something."

"Well, Liv and the SVU have their own problems right now," Sam told her. "But I'm sure you two can talk when we come back. Are you sure you're all right, Renee?"

She nodded. "It's just problems with my love life."

"Oh, yeah," Sam said, with a wave of her hand. "I can understand that!"  
>"Don't tell me you can Logan are having problems?" Renee asked when they left the rest room.<p>

"No, we're good. But Logan can be a real big lug at times. Men really are annoying, aren't they?"

"Yeah," Renee said briskly.

When they joined the main group of MCS detectives in the hallway, Harvey Bullock glared at them and said, "There youse are! Took youse gals long enough to pretty yourselves up!"

"Where's your vest?" Renee asked him, ignoring the jibe.

"They ain't made a vest worthy enough to protect the likes of me," Harvey declared.

"You mean you outgrew the last extra large vest we had especially made for you," Renee said, as she patted his enormous stomach. "When are you gonna take a hint and drop a few pounds, Harvey?"

"When the Gotham Knights finally get in the playoffs," he said, with a broad grin at her. "By the by, Gordon and the others are in the garage, getting our rides ready."

"Be careful, Harvey," Sam called, as she entered the cell block section of the MCS bullpen with Renee. "The Gotham Knights stand a really good chance of getting in the playoffs this year."

"What, you holding me to that?" Bullock called back with a grin.

"You'd better believe it!" Renee answered.

Renee and Sam lost their smiles and instantly put on their game faces when they walked up to the prisoner, who was seated alone in her jail cell.

Harley Quinn's light blond hair was pulled back into a pair of Pippi Longstocking-style pony-tails that hung down on both shoulders. Clad as she was in red-colored prisoner overalls (the crimson color tagged her as being a high-risk, extremely dangerous convict), and no longer wearing her garish Harlequin costume and make up, Harley looked as normal as Renee had ever recalled seeing her.

But those eyes.

Even while dressed as a relatively normal-looking human being, the sheer, stark raving insanity that lurked in Harley's eyes could not be hidden. When she stared crazily at them, Renee wanted nothing more than to shout for her to look away. When Renee abruptly felt a slight itch at the back of her throat, she let out a cough.

"All right, Harley," Sam said with a wary look. "You ready for your trip back to Arkham? It's a lovely evening for a ride."

Harley's crazed peepers gazed insanely at them both as she leaned forward on the bench that she sat on and nodded. "Yes, it is. It's a lovely night…for a break out."

Renee let out another cough, then she frowned in puzzlement when she had to cough yet again. 'What, am I coming down with a cold, to top it all off?'

"Look, Harley, we're not in any mood for…." Sam stopped herself to let out a cough. Then she coughed again.

When Sam coughed a third time, she glanced at Renee with wide-eyed alarm. "I-I can't breathe…."

"I can't…breathe…either," Renee managed to get out in-between her own coughing fit. She didn't know what this was, but it came on abruptly.

Sam fell to the floor, still coughing violently, and Renee picked her up and half-carried/half dragged her to the doorway.

"Gee, I sure hope it ain't the bird flu!" Harley said. Oddly, she didn't appear to be affected like Renee and Sam were. "I haven't even seen any birds around here, have you?"

But once she got the door opened, Renee was startled to see that everyone on the entire MCS floor was coughing and struggling for breath. All of the escort force for Harley, including Harvey, were now lying helpless on the floor.

Renee, whose eyes were tearing so badly she could barely see, reluctantly lowered the unconscious Sam to the floor. She tried using her cell phone, but her eyelids were now seemingly glued shut. And her cough was so ferocious that Renee could barely think straight.

"I…be back," Renee said, straining to get the words out through her incessant coughing. "Get…help…."  
>Renee staggered towards the exit, at least she hoped she was headed for the exit, she couldn't really be sure. But all she knew now was that she had to get help…from Olivia. The SVU were their neighbors. Liv would help her.<p>

Renee blindly pushed through the main doors of the MCS bullpen. The elevators should be directly in front of her. Renee reached out with her hands, hoping to reach the elevator…hoping to reach Liv…before it was too late for them all.

"You don't have to bother giving me a ride tonight, guys!" Harley cheerfully called out, her taunting voice echoed down the halls. "My mommy will be picking me up instead!"

**B&B**

When Poison Ivy strolled into the MCS bullpen, she smiled serenely at all of the police officers who lay flailing about on the floor, like fish suddenly finding themselves out of the water and laying helplessly on the ground in the baking sun. Her toxin had worked perfectly. And all it took was one after-hours visit disguised as a cleaning lady to set up the vents.

"Excuse me," Ivy murmured, as she bent over the prone form of a blonde detective who lay by the door of the cell block. Removing the woman's keys from her belt, Ivy dangled them before her and added, "Just need to borrow these, if you don't mind."

Ivy then walked into the jail section, until she came across a smiling Harley. "Hello, mommy!" she said gleefully.

"Hello, darling," Ivy said, as she unlocked the cell door. "Have we been a good little girl?"

"Oh, no, mommy," Harley happily replied, as she embraced Ivy in a tight hug. "We've been _very_ naughty!"

"Hmm, looks like mommy will have to discipline you later, you naughty girl," Ivy said, just after they shared a passionate kiss.

"Ooo," Harley said excitedly. "I can't wait!"

**B&B**

"Come on, Pickles, come on, girl! Oh, that's a good girl!"

The little Pekingese dog, who was Charlotte's pride and joy, smiled at her warmly as she came running over to her mistress. Charlotte glanced up and down the street, making sure nobody else was around. She knew she was supposed to have Pickles on a leash, but Charlotte just didn't have the heart to lead her best little friend in the entire world around the streets by the neck like she was some kind of an animal.

Charlotte still carried a leash, just in case someone came across them and noticed they were breaking the dog leash law. She could just quickly attach the leash to Pickles and then act like nothing was wrong if they should call the police on them. But Charlotte really had to be careful lately, thanks to that silly cow, Mrs. Augustine, who claimed that she was onto what Charlotte was doing and threatened to get her and Pickles on video with the camera gizmo in her cell phone.

"Filming me without my permission," Charlotte said with a harrumph. "Really…what nerve!"

Charlotte was momentarily panicked when she lost sight of Pickles. But she relaxed once she saw that her little darling was sniffing out a tree by the curb.

"Pickles, sweetheart," Charlotte called, trying to keep her voice low so that the tenants in the apartment buildings on either side of the street wouldn't hear her. "Come to mama, baby, come on!"

The little Pekingese smiled at her once more as she came running. Charlotte didn't care what anybody said; as far as she was concerned, her darling little baby girl was _smiling_ at her whenever she opened her mouth like that. And it was always such a joy for her to see.

Charlotte was startled when a large black shape flew in close right over her head. The force of wind alone generated by the strange flying object was almost enough to knock her over. Yet it was as silent as the grave.

She stared in numb horror as the massive black shape swooped down on Pickles and grabbed the little dog with both claws that extended out from a pair of legs. The shadowy creature, looking like a devilish monster straight from hell, unfurled its leathery wings and took flight into the night sky once more, this time with a wiggling Pickles caught within its grasp.

Charlotte could hear the monster let out a horrifying screech as it zoomed back up into the night sky with her beloved dog.

"PICKLES!" Charlotte cried, as she ran after her dog. "PICKLES! PICKLES!"

"Yo, lady, shut the hell up!" a tenant called from an apartment window. "We're trying to watch TV!"

"Hey, lady," another tenant, a man, called. "I got yer pickle right here! Why don't you come on up?"

"PICKLES!" Charlotte screamed, as she continued to run down the street. She now didn't care who heard; all Charlotte cared about was saving her little dog. "PICKLES!"

Yet as hard as Charlotte had tried to run, it was no use. Her dearly beloved Pickles was gone; seemingly swallowed up by the very night itself. She was later found wandering dazed in the streets on the South Side, several blocks away from her home, by a GCPD patrol unit. The overcome Charlotte muttered just one word over and over: "Pickles."

Unable to reach the stunned elderly woman, who appeared to be in a state of shock, the uniformed officers dropped Charlotte off at the emergency room at Mercy General hospital. An examination show her to be physically fine, yet she had obviously suffered some sort of a trauma, as if she were attacked.

The attending physician, fearing the worst, made the decision to call the Gotham City SVU.

**B&B**

'If it ain't one thing, it's another,' Olivia Benson thought, as she walked back from the women's room in the hallway just outside the SVU bullpen.

Normally, Olivia would have used the restroom that was located right _in_ the SVU bullpen, but that was broken, and there would be no repairs done on their women's room until sometime tomorrow.

Olivia just hoped the bathrooms would get fixed before she and Alex would have to leave for Metropolis. She hated the thought of leaving her squad alone with something left undone.

'Stupid frigging police convention,' Olivia thought with an annoyed shake of her head. 'Why'd I let Gordon talk me into going with Alex? I mean, yeah…it's nice that the Metropolis police force wants to start their own SVU, but how'd I become the go-to expert on starting up this sort of thing?'

Katie and J'onn rushed out the door of the SVU bullpen engaged in a vigorous argument. "I don't care," Katie said, "I still think it sucks."

"They don't mean anything by it," J'onn countered. "It wasn't meant to be a direct insult by Mike and Andrea."

"Hey, what's wrong?" Olivia asked them.

"Got a possible rape call from Mercy General," J'onn explained, as he pressed the elevator button. "A woman was brought in looking very confused and frightened."

"Doctors say there's no outward sign of rape, but they fear she might have been attacked," Katie added, as she picked up the explanation. "So they called us in just to make sure."

"And what about Mike and Andrea?" Olivia asked. "You guys having some trouble with them?"

"Hardly, Inspector," J'onn replied. "They've just invited Katie and myself to a movie night."

"Yeah, but the movie they want to show is War Of The Worlds," Katie said with disgust. She glanced around, making sure they were alone, before she continued speaking. "And I'm not watching a movie showing Martians killing and plundering!"

Olivia was instantly touched at how Katie stood by her man…who was the last of his kind, a Martian that was presently disguised as a pleasant, low-key human being. "J'onn's right, Katie, Make and Andrea didn't mean anything by…HOLY CHRIST!"

The elevator doors had opened behind J'onn, revealing the sight of Renee Montoya sprawled out on the floor of the elevator.

"Call an ambulance," Olivia said, as she quickly bent down next to the prone Renee.

"Already doing it," Katie replied, as she pulled out her police dispatch radio.

"Olivia?" Renee fearfully asked. Her eyes were sealed shut and her entire face looked bloated and puffy, as if she had suffered a severe allergic reaction.

Olivia clasped her outreached hand in her own. "I'm here, sweetie. I'm right here. What happened?"

"The entire MCS…" Renee said, in-between a major coughing fit, "taken out…by Ivy…."

'Oh, dear God, that crazy bitch struck here,' Olivia realized with horror. 'She attacked us right here on our home ground!'

"We need to check on the others in the MCS," J'onn said.

"N-No!" Renee cried out in a panic. "S-She gassed the entire place…everybody's down…you shouldn't go there….'"

"Gee, if only there's a super-powered hero around," Katie said, her words dripping with sarcasm, as she gazed directly at J'onn. "But where can we find one this hour of the night?"

J'onn just gave her the slightest of smiles before he glanced at Olivia with a questioning look.

"Stay with her," Olivia told Katie. She patted Renee on the shoulder and added, "I'll be right back, ok, sweetie?"

"I'm not…going anywhere," Renee said, with a weak smile.

When she and J'onn left the elevator and walked into the hall, Olivia nodded and said, "Go. But still, be careful. They don't call her Poison Ivy for nothing, she's a master at deadly toxins."

"Earth-based toxins," J'onn pointed out. "But I understand. I shall be careful."

As he ran off towards the stairs, Olivia pulled out her phone and called Gordon. She quickly told him what was going down, at least as far as she knew. When she hung up with him, Olivia then walked into the SVU bullpen and told Mike and Andrea to cover for John and Katie at Mercy General. When they asked what was wrong, Olivia informed her entire crew of what happened with the MCS. Olivia was extremely pleased, and proud, to see her SVU kids all scramble into action.

She was just about to turn and walk back into the hallway when Olivia saw a frightened-looking Alex standing there, her eyes wide behind her glasses. "Oh, dear God, Liv…."  
>"Yeah, that about sums it up, sweetheart," Olivia muttered, as she and Alex walked back into the hallway.<p>

"Is she all right?" Alex asked, as she gazed at Renee with concern. Katie, who knelt down beside Renee, looked like she did a great job at comforting her in the elevator.

"Go over and see her," Olivia told Alex. "She'll be glad to see you."

"What're you going to do?"

"I have another call to make," Olivia said, as she pulled out her cell phone and dialed a very special number.

**B&B**

"Ivy just made her move here and now," Olivia's voice said. She sounded loud and clear in the Tumbler cockpit. "She attacked the MCS…Ivy just laid everybody out with a toxin of some kind."

"Damn it!" Batman said angrily. "I _knew_ I missed something!"

"It was still a good plan," Olivia said, by way of comforting him. "You couldn't have seen all the angles."

"It's not over yet, sis," Batman told her. "I'll talk with you later."

"They've got to be making their escape through the sewer," Robin said. "We should try and head them off at-"

But Batman shook his head. "No need."

Once he switched off the call, the Dark Knight hit another button on the Tumbler console, which started up a display screen that showed a map of Gotham City. There was a small flashing blip that slowly moved in the center of the screen.

"What's this?" Robin asked.

"Plan 'B'," Batman replied. "Just in case something like this might occur, I asked Liv to slip a miniature tracking device into Harley's dinner tonight. Harley swallowed it, literally. Unbeknownst to Harley and Ivy, we're now tracking their every move."

Robin smiled in admiration at him. "And you were worried that you missed something."  
>Yet Batman, now entirely focused on the hunt, ignored him as he started up the Tumbler's massive engine.<p>

**B&B**

She ran over the rooftops, feeling as free as the wind, under the night sky. When she arrived at her target zone, the roof top across the street from the museum, Catwoman pulled up her goggles, which served as infra-red glasses that enabled her to see better in the dark, and gazed hungrily at the museum.

"How far are you from the target?" Holly's voice asked in her ear.

Catwoman smiled. "I'm right here."

"What does the security look like?" Holly anxiously asked. "Is it anything like we had anticipated?"

"There's a police car parked near the front door," Catwoman reported. "The cop's talking to the security guards."

"Damn," Holly muttered angrily. "Always something…."

"Don't fret, Holly-my-girl, the fuzz is no doubt just checking in with the guards," Catwoman said. "It's just a matter of waiting until the cop's gone, and then I'll hit the museum."

"Listen, the Stonewell Diamonds should still be in the display case right now," Holly told her. "But they'll soon be moved to the protective vault for the night, so try not to wait too long."

Catwoman let out a chuckle. "Even if they do move them, it won't make a difference. They haven't made a vault yet that I couldn't crack open. Stop worrying, Holly, this plan is foolproof."

"Need I remind you that the last time we were in Gotham City, I was kidnapped?"

"Holly, just relax, all right? I can handle whatever this city throws at me," Catwoman assured her. "Besides, what can possibly go wrong?"  
>No sooner had she said that then Catwoman heard a loud screeching noise from above her. She turned just in time to see a large creature with a massive wingspan begin to swoop down right at her. It's gleaming claws were poised to strike.<p>

"Whoa!" Catwoman realized there was no cover from that thing on the roof, and so she had nowhere to go but right over the ledge. Quickly pulling the whip from around her waist, Catwoman snagged the end of it on a metal pipe as she dove over the side of the ledge.

The large bat-like creature let out a frustrated screech as its claws grasped empty air right where Catwoman had been standing. Catwoman swung across the front of the building, hanging several stories above the ground, until she jumped back up on the opposite end of the ledge.

She flicked her whip free from the pipe just as the creature swooped down for another aerial assault. She expertly cracked her whip right in the monster's face, sending it shrieking away in pain.

"Hey, you!" a male voice shouted in the distance.

"Oh, great," Catwoman muttered in disgust, as she watched as the cops who had stopped at the museum, who had obviously seen everything, came running across the street with their guns drawn. Behind them the museum's alarm system began to ring as the grounds were lit up by floodlights. The museum was now locked down tighter than a drum.

Within barely a minute, Catwoman's latest heist, one that she and Holly had worked on for months, had just been blown.

"Gotham City police!" one of the cops shouted up at her. "Stay right where you are!"

"Oh, yeah…you bet! I'll just wait right here for you!" Catwoman called over her shoulder, as she began to run across the roof. As she made her escape across the rooftops, Catwoman warily glanced up at the night skies, looking for any sign of that Bat-monster, but she appeared to have fought it off.

"Selena, what's wrong?" Holly asked. "What just happened?"

"The gig is gone, shot to hell," she angrily replied, "by some kind of a flying bat-thing."

"You mean Batman?"  
>"No, I mean some kind of large bat creature just attacked me on the roof, Holly!"<p>

"A bat creature? What the hell are you talking about? What bat creature?"  
>"Maybe it's Batman's pet," Catwoman derisively said. "Whatever it is, Holly, it just cost us a very expensive job. And, because of that, it just made an enemy tonight. I swear, I'm going to hunt down that overblown bat and teach it some manners."<p>

**B&B**

Despite the fact that she had a big day tomorrow, Amanda Waller decided to visit her "guests" before she went home for the night. She went down to the cellblock area and strode up to the first cell with a smile. "Good evening, my dear. And how are we feeling?"

But the blue-skinned prisoner simply glared back at her with those mysterious golden eyes.

Amanda's smile faded as she regarded Mystique. Since having been captured in Gotham City, the shape shifter had not said a word to anyone, not even to her court-appointed lawyer. "If you want us to help you, Mystique, then you've got to help yourself. And the only way you can help yourself is by talking to me."

Mystique regarded her with a smile of her own. Then she shifted into a perfect copy of Amanda Waller and said, "You can help yourself by releasing me."

Despite being unsettled at speaking to a mirror image of herself, Amanda was at least pleased to have finally gotten the woman to say something. "You know I can't do that. You've committed crimes, Mystique, and you must repay society for those crimes."

Mystique transformed back into her normal blue self as she strode towards the cell door, which was made of reinforced clear plastic. "So when is my trial?"

"I told you, there is no trial, not for you. You are a very special case, Mystique. You have an amazing ability, one that could serve and help humankind."

Mystique's smile turned into a sneering grin. "You mean you want me to help humans to hunt down and kill my own kind? Just how stupid do you think I truly am?"

Amanda tried to reach out to her one more time. "Erik Lehnsherr isn't the god that your people make him out to be."

"My people?" Mystique's eyebrows raised in surprise. "And who would that be?"

"You know full well who I mean," Amanda said with disgust. "Your Brotherhood Of Mutants is nothing more than a terrorist group, one that will be crushed out of existence, like all such groups. The sooner you give in to that fact, the better."

"Funny, we think of ourselves as being freedom fighters," Mystique shot back. "And if anybody should consider surrendering, it should be you, Waller. If you'll accept a friendly piece of advice? Give up this fight before you get hurt, or worse."

"You can't hurt me," Amanda said stoically, as she began to walk away. "Your cell is impossible to break free from. You will never get out."

Mystique just grinned at her one last time. "I won't be the one who kills you."

When Amanda walked past Matt Hagen's cell, her smile was genuine. Where Mystique was belligerent and fought them at every turn, Matt was the perfect prisoner who had aided them however he could. In fact, he had turned out to be such a decent fellow that Amanda actually felt guilty at keeping him caged. But rules were rules, and Amanda had to follow them, even though she made them.

"Don't let the blue lady get you down, Amanda," Matt said, as he suddenly shifted into a perfect impression of the blue-skinned Mystique. "She's just pissed that she didn't get a part in the Avatar sequel. She would be perfect for that film. No need for makeup."

Amanda burst into laughter at that. Luckily they were far enough down the hall for the real Mystique to not be able to hear them. "How are _you_ doing, Matt? I see you've improved vastly with your shape-shifting skills."

"Thanks to you; thanks to the training you have given me," Matt said, as he changed back into his fegular human form. "Now that I've gotten my power down pat, when can I be set loose? I'm eager to prove my worth to you."

"I already know that you're a very worthy person," Amanda told him solemnly. "But things have been put on hold while I pay a visit to Gotham City tomorrow. Something has come up, something big."

"They finally caught the Batman?" Matt hopefully asked.

"Oh, I wish!" Amanda said ruefully. "But it's not that. After being blocked by the corrupt city hall regime in Gotham, we've finally been cleared by a judge to enter Arkham Asylum."

"Really? Why? What's there?"

"I'm to speak with the Joker," Amanda replied. "Just getting in to see him is a major coup for the OHMR."

"You sure you don't need me along?" Matt asked, concerned.

"Oh, I'll be fine," Amanda assured him, as she resumed walking down the hallway. "We will be under guard the whole time by one of my own men, as well as the Arkham guards. It will be all right."

"Talking to the Joker?" Matt warily said after her. "Even with my powers, that dude gives me the chills. Better you than me, Doc!"

Amanda suddenly had a mental image of herself face to face with the Clown Prince Of Crime, and for the first time that day, she felt the slightest twinge of fear.

**B&B**

They followed the homing beacon to an abandoned home center warehouse, which was yet another casualty in these economically unstable times. Batman knew that another empty building like this one was the last thing that Gotham City needed right now, for the city had been just barely hanging on by its fingertips even before the Wall Street crash of '08. Batman realized that the shadowy nooks and crannies that the city was famous for, which made Gotham City a safe haven for people fleeing the ever-probing tendrils of the OHMR, also made it a haven for criminals, as well.

But as he parked the Tumbler in a safe, secluded place in the parking lot, which had dozens of weeds springing up in cracks in the asphalt, Batman realized that they had to take the bad with the good. 'You don't raze an entire garden just because it has a few weeds in it,' he thought. 'You eliminate the weeds…much like what Robin and I are doing right now.'

Once the Tumbler's cockpit opened, Batman held up a portable version of the beacon tracker in his hand. He smirked slightly when he saw where Harley was located within the old home center. "They're in the gardening center."

"Where else?" Robin asked with a chuckle. "You gotta love this Ivy. If nothing else, she's very predictable."

In order to avoid any traps that might be set up along the doors, they entered the home center through a broken skylight in the roof. When he touched down on the floor, Batman switched to infra-red and he was pleased to see Robin do the same.

Robin recently received an updated mask from Lucius, which now gave him all the visual bells and whistles that Batman's cowl had. Both Bruce and Lucius had spoken to Dick about the possibility of completely redesigning his outfit, perhaps with a cowl, but he politely turned them down. His Robin costume, now a second generation combat suit that was improved upon by Alfred, was based on an original design created by Dick's deceased mother. Dick felt that, for as long as he wore the Robin design, a part of his mother would still be alive.

Batman had understood where he was coming from perfectly.

"Looks quiet," Robin whispered.

"Looks can be deceiving, especially with Ivy," Batman replied. He consulted the tracker, then pointed in the direction where they had to go.

The final location of the beacon turned out to be an old greenhouse that was attached to the side of the building. It was a vast, empty space, with a bare earth floor that was broken up every now and then by large concrete columns that held up the roof. Warning bells went off in Batman's head once he realized that the bare earth floor would be a perfect set up for some of Ivy's killer plant life. They would have to be very careful.

"Hello, Batman," a woman's sultry voice called out.

Sure enough, there she was: Poison Ivy stood by one of the stone columns with Harley by her side. Harley was still clad in her prison outfit, while Ivy stood barefoot, adorned in only a slinky green dress.

Ivy held up the tracking beacon in her hand. "Looking for this?"

A chill ran up Batman's back when he saw that. Apparently Harley never swallowed the beacon after all. Yet they still brought it with them, which meant that they had just lured Robin and him into a trap.

"C'mon," Robin said, as he tensed up for battle, "let's get them!"

"Robin, wait!" Batman reached out to grab him, but Robin was already running from him. "Stop, it's a trap!"

"As long as I don't kiss her, what harm can she do?" Robin asked, as he continued his charge at Ivy and Harley.

Batman had no choice but to run after him. "I told you, do not underestimate her!"

And sure enough, there it was: a large wooden branch, as thick as one of Batman's legs, came swinging out from behind one of the stone columns. Robin instantly and effortlessly ducked under the massive branch with ease.

But he completely ignored the second branch that swung out from the opposite column. This second branch, just as large as the first, bashed Robin hard in the face, the impact sending him shooting several yards backwards before he landed roughly on the bare earth floor.

"Ta-ta, for now, Bats!" Harley said with a laugh.

Before checking on the downed Robin, Batman made a visual sweep of the area to make sure that neither Ivy nor Harley were coming back for the killing blow. But they were gone. And there appeared to be no other traps laid out for them. All that was left of them was the beacon, which Ivy had thrown in the dirt.

Batman bent down over Robin. "Robin? Robin, speak to me. Are you all right?"

Yet another chill of fear ran up Batman's spine when he saw that Robin lay very still and was completely unresponsive.


	2. Chapter 2

_My thanks to EroSlackerMicha, Aaron W, Barbarossa Rotbart and stargaze29 for their reviews. I would also like to thank those of you who have favored this story._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Two**

"I'm getting a little tired of this, Alice," Barbra Gordon said.

But Alice hopped from foot to foot as she excitedly waved her hands in a flapping gesture. Barbra thought she looked like a nervous chicken.

"No. I'm serious!" Alice said, as she grabbed Barbra's arm and shook it. "He's really got the hots for you. He told me so himself!"

Barbra rolled her eyes heavenward in disgust. They were outside one of the entrances to the Showcase Square Mall, waiting for Alice's mom to come pick them up and take them home. There was a man intently speaking on a cell phone about ten feet away from them. Although he didn't act suspiciously, Barbra still kept a wary eye on him.

"Billy Kepis actually told you that he had the hots for me?" Barbra asked skeptically.

"YES!" Alice cried. Then she abruptly shook her head. "Well, not in so many words…."

"I knew it!" Barbra yelled in annoyance. "You're just doing this to drive me crazy!"

"I'm not! I'm not! I swear!" Alice pleaded. "Billy walked up to me, and he was like, 'Yo, you know Barbara Gordon, right?' and I was like, 'Yeah.' and he was like, 'Well, what's she like?' You see?" she added, with an excited little jump. "He asked me about you! That means he's interested in you!"

"I'm not sure I'm interested in a guy who says 'yo' all the time," Barbra muttered. "Is 'yo' even a word?"

"Never mind the yo," Alice said. "You've seriously got to Tweet him right now!"

"Hold on, you once told me that Darren Reyes was also hot for me," Barbara said. "And so I went and spoke to him, because you prodded me into doing it, and he told me to get lost because he was dating one of the cheerleaders! You know how embarrassing that was for me?"

"You remind me every single time we see each other! But I'm telling you that this is the real deal, Babs, Billy actually asked about you!" Alice insisted. "He's really interested in you!"

Barbra just shook her head in disbelief at her friend, whom she knew meant well, but-

"Ahhhh!" Alice abruptly cried in horror. "Whazzat?"

Barbra turned to the man speaking on the cell phone and saw him get attacked from a bizarre creature that had swooped down from nowhere out of the night sky. The man let out a startled cry as the monster struck him in the back of the head with its claws, knocking him to the ground.

Once the man was down, the flying monstrosity flew directly towards Barbra and Alice.

"GET DOWN!" Barbra yelled, as she shoved Alice to the ground. The creature flew right over where they had previously stood.

"What is it with you?" Alice cried. "Every time I go out with you, weird stuff always happens!"

"Oh, yeah, as if this is all my fault, right?" Barbra muttered in annoyance as she got up and went over to the man. "Are you all right, sir?"

The man sat up and held his bleeding head in his hands. He then glared at Barbra, as if it were her fault. "What kind of a damn sick joke is this supposed to be, you little brat?"

"I didn't do anything!" a shocked Barbra told him.

"The hell you did!" the man muttered, as he staggered to his feet. "You made me drop my cell phone! Look, it's broken…."

"No way!" Alice said. "You were attacked by a flying monster…it looked just like Godzilla, only with wings…."

When Barbra just gave her an incredulous look, Alice simply said, "What?"

A mall security guard came out and asked, "What's going on, here?"

"Arrest these two," the irate man told him. "They just attacked me!"

The security guard stared at him as if he were crazy. "Seriously? Dude, if these two can take you down, you should consider working out."

"Hey! That's very sexist!" Alice complained.

"We didn't attack him," Barbra said, trying to keep the situation calm.

Yet it was at that very moment that Barbra remembered something that the Batman had taught her; a very valuable lesson she had learned to follow as Batgirl: 'Always be mindful of your surroundings.'

When she felt a sudden rush of wind, Barbra glanced up in time to see the flying creature swooping down on them.

"GET DOWN!" Barbra screamed once more, as she shoved Alice into the guard, knocking them both down.

The man with the broken cell phone was struck again by the creature, who clawed him in the neck as it swooped past. The man numbly stared at the blood that now poured from his throat, then he collapsed.

The security guard pulled out his walkie-talkie and called for backup and an ambulance. Several dozen people came out of the mall and gathered around them as the security guard applied pressure to the wounded man's throat. Another guard came over and asked, "What happened?"

"He was attacked by Batman," the first guard told him.

"Batman?" Barbra cried, outraged.

"That's who it looked like to me," the guard said.

"Who do you think it was?" the second guard asked Barbra.

Before Barbra could even answer, Alice excitedly babbled, "Well, it kind of looked like Godzilla, only with really big wings…."

"Yeah, right…." the second guard said with disbelief etched on his face.

Barbara was horrified to hear the crowd around them all murmur the Batman's name in fear. She knew that it would be a matter of seconds before news of the Batman attacking a guy outside of the Showcase Square Mall for no reason would go live on the net. And that would be yet another black mark against a man whom Barbra considered to be a true savior of Gotham City.

She glanced up once more at the night sky, but the strange monster was gone. Yet the damage it caused was done, and Barbra felt a wave of irritation and despair as she found herself completely helpless to prevent the smearing of her friend and mentor, the Batman.

**B&B**

J'onn had come back from the MCS bullpen and reported that, although the toxin had dissipated somewhat, the MCS officers were all down but still alive. J'onn had warned Olivia to not go up there unless protected by a gas mask.

"Although I've spurred the toxin's demise by opening a few windows, it is still quite potent," he told her. "No rescue workers should go in unless they wear protective gear."

Olivia just nodded, stunned. It had suddenly occurred to her that the windows in the MCS office didn't open at all. But she didn't bother to ask J'onn how he got the windows open, nor did she really care; for there were better things to do right now, such as oversee the EMT squads as they prepared to go aid the MCS personnel.

It was while Olivia explained the situation to the EMT commander that Commissioner Gordon and Rachel Dawes arrived on the scene. She then gave them a run down of everything that had happened.

"Damn it," Rachel muttered, after Olivia had finished. "Who knew that Ivy, that crazy bitch, could be this shrewd?"

"This toxin that Ivy used, it's not spreading through the building?" Gordon asked.

"It doesn't appear to be," Olivia replied. "We haven't caught it, and Renee doesn't appear to be getting any worse."

Alex had come over and said, "They're taking Renee to the hospital now, Liv. She's asking for us, both you and me, to go with her."

"Go ahead, Liv," Gordon told her. "I'm taking command of the scene from you. I'll see you at the hospital."

As Olivia and Alex followed Renee, who was being carried out on a stretcher by the EMT workers, Olivia waved at Linda, who stood with J'onn and Katie. "We're heading over to Mercy General. Meet us there?"

Katie and J'onn both nodded.

"I'll keep watch on the SVU bullpen, boss," Linda offered.

"Bless you, Linda, you're a lifesaver," Olivia told her.

Olivia rode with Renee in the ambulance, holding her hand, while Alex followed behind them in their car. When they reached Mercy General, Olivia saw that the emergency room was a hotbed of activity as the first of the stricken MCS officers had begun to arrive.

Alex joined them in the ER while Olivia sat by Renee's bedside. "There's something I've been meaning to tell you, Olivia," Renee said. "It's something very important…."

Olivia, fearful that Renee might be giving her a deathbed confession, quickly said, "Save it for later, sweetie. When you're feeling much better, all right?"

"Oh my God," Alex suddenly said, as a blonde was quickly wheeled past them on a stretcher. "Liv, that's Sam!"

"Go to her, I'll stay with Renee," Olivia told her lover.

"I've really got to tell you something, Olivia," Renee said, after Alex had left. Her eyes were still swollen shut and her mouth could barely move. "It's something very important. I have been…."

"RENEE!"

Both Olivia and Renee were startled when a beautiful young doctor in hospital scrubs barged in on them. She was in tears as she gazed at Renee with horror. "Oh my God," she cried, "what happened to you?"  
>"Chrissy?" Renee asked. Her eyes were still sealed shut. "Is that you?"<p>

"Yes, it's me, baby," Chrissy said, as she came over and held Renee's hand. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry for the things I've told you before! I hope you can forgive me!"

"I love you, Chrissy," Renee said. When the doctor went to kiss her, Renee moved her head away. "No, don't kiss me! I don't want you to get this!"

"I love you, Renee, always," Chrissy said. "I never want to be separated from you, ever! Do you hear me?"

Another doctor, a man, appeared at the foot of the bed. "Christine, you know better than this!" he chided her. He gestured at Renee. "She's your lover; you can't be here, you have to exclude yourself, right now."

Olivia pushed aside the shock of finding out that Renee was a lesbian long enough to take action. "C'mon, sweetheart," Olivia said softly, as she gently pulled on Christine's shoulders. She led the grief-stricken young doctor out of the bed bay as a group of nurses wheeled a cart in and started to assist the doctor with Renee.

"I love you, Christine," Renee called out, "and I don't care who knows it!"

"I love you, too, baby!" Christine quickly replied. "Hold on, just hold on for me, please! I can't live without you!"

Olivia led the stunned Christine, who was still visibly distraught, over to a sofa by the wall and sat down with her.

"What happened to her?" Christine asked Olivia.

"Poison Ivy struck at police headquarters," Olivia solemnly told her. "She used some kind of an airborne toxin on the entire Major Case Squad. She freed Harley Quinn."

"That bitch," Christine said with a shake of her head. She suddenly glanced over at Olivia, as if noticing her for the first time, and added, "I'm Christine Darrow."

"Olivia Benson," she introduced herself. "Pleased to meet you, Christine."

"Oh, I thought you were Olivia! Renee's always talking about you," Christine said with a smile. "You're exactly how she describes you! She really likes you, Olivia."

Alex walked over to them with an annoyed look on her face. "Doctors chased me away from Sam."

"How is she?" Olivia asked.

"As bad as Renee looked, all puffy and everything," Alex replied. "But the doctors seem confident that, whatever this is, it's not life threatening."

"Thank God. Is Harvey in there, too?"

Alex nodded. "But I couldn't even see him. Like I said, they chased me out."

When Alex glanced in puzzlement at Christine, whom Olivia held in a comforting embrace, Olivia said, "Christine Darrow, this is Alex Cabot, of the District Attorney's office, and my life partner."

"Great to meet you," Christine said to Alex. "I've also heard a lot of nice things about you from Renee. I'm her lover."  
>Alex's eyes just blinked rapidly in confusion behind her glasses. "Renee? You mean Renee Montoya? <em>Our<em> Renee?"

"Jeez, Alex, you make it sound like we own her!" Olivia said with a chuckle.

"Wha-uh, no…sorry," Alex said, flustered. "Oh, jeez…excuse me, it's been a hell of a night."

"For all of us," Olivia added. She suddenly had a scary thought. "Oh, God, does Logan know what happened to Sam, yet?"

Alex's eyes abruptly grew very wide when they heard a crash at the end of the hall. "Oh, I think he knows, Liv…."

Olivia got up just in time to block a frantic Logan Cade as he came running down the hallway. "Logan, wait, you can't go inside…."

"The hell I can't," he growled. His muscular frame made him look like a mountain in comparison to Olivia, yet she stood her ground. "Where is she?"

"She's in the ER right now, along with the rest of the MCS detectives," Alex told him.

"They're taking good care of Sam, Logan," Olivia said, in her best comforting tone. "There's nothing we can do for her right now but wait."

"Look, I'm not one of your special victims," Logan spat at her. "So spare me your damned platitudes!"

Olivia just held her hands up at him. "We're all concerned, Logan, ok? Sam is our friend, too. Plus, we have several other close friends in there. I know what you're feeling, believe me, because I feel just as helpless as you do."

"Oh, Christ," Logan said in an exhale of breath. And in that instant, his rage has subsided. "Um, look, Liv, sorry about snapping your head off just now…."

Olivia shook her head. "No need to explain. I understand. How did you find out?"

"The news reported that the entire Gotham City Major Case Squad had just been gassed in a terrorist attack," Logan said. "Scott flew me here in the X-Jet. Have you heard any recent word on her condition?"

"Let me find out," Christine said. "They can't keep me out forever."

"She's Renee's lover," Olivia explained to Logan, after Christine left.

Logan did a double take at that. "Renee? Really? So she's one of you Sapphic Sisters, huh? Who knew?"

"A what?" Alex cried, as she folded her arms in consternation. "You care to clarify just what exactly that means?"

Just before a cornered Logan was forced to explain himself, Christine burst through the doors and said, "They're all going to be ok! You can come in and see them, now. But only for five minutes."

Christine and Alex went to see Renee, who looked much better, while Olivia went with Logan to see Sam. Olivia was glad to see that Renee's eyes were no longer sealed shut. Renee waved at her.

Sam, like the other MCS detectives in the ER, had been stripped of her clothing and now wore only a hospital gown as she sat up in bed. She smiled broadly at them…or at least as much as her still-swollen face would allow.

Logan took her hand in his and said, "How are you?"

"Great! I can finally join the X-Men!" Sam said, as she gestured at her puffed up appearance. "My code name will be Blow-Fish."

"Oh, yeah," Logan said, with a bark of laughter. "She's just fine!"

Olivia also couldn't help but also laugh at Sam's joke. She was amazed that Sam was the one lying in hospital bed, and yet here she was trying to lift their spirits. She saw Alex was paying a visit to Harvey, who lay in a bed across the ER from Renee.

When she glanced over at Renee, Olivia saw Christine was busy pulling the curtains around her bed. Obviously, the love birds wanted some privacy.

'Was that what Renee wanted to tell me?' Olivia wondered. Her thought were disrupted when she received an urgent call from Alfred. When he told her what had happened tonight on patrol, Olivia just shook her head with dread and said, "We'll be over as soon as we can."

She went to Alex, and after exchanging a few quick words with Harvey, who was his usual cantankerous self, Olivia took Alex aside. "Something happened tonight while Bruce and Dick were on patrol," she told Alex, sotto voce. "They took on Poison Ivy and Harley, and Dick…Alex, Dick has been badly hurt."

"Oh, dear God, no!" Alex moaned. "Is he all right?"

"I don't know, I didn't get the details, but it sounds bad. Alfred is sick with worry. Look, I have to stay here, at least until Gordon shows up. Why don't you head back to the Manor right now?"  
>Alex nodded. "All right, I'll call you the moment I get there."<p>

Olivia momentarily stood in the middle of the ER, wracked with anxiety over Dick's wellbeing. When Logan called her, Olivia realized that he and Sam had been watching her, and they had realized that something was dreadfully wrong.

"Everything's ok?" Logan asked her, when Olivia went over to Sam's bed.

But just the mere thought that Dick was badly hurt made Olivia extremely despondent. "No," she replied, her voice breaking with emotion. "It looks like this is going to be a long night…."

**B&B**

Rachel was just wrapping things up in police headquarters, adding up the extra charges that Ivy and Harley had earned tonight in her head, when she received a call from home.

"Miss Rachel," Alfred said, his voice fraught with anxiety. "Master Bruce has just called and…it's Master Dick. He's been seriously hurt."

"Oh, God," Rachel said in a whisper. "How bad?"

"Terribly bad, I'm afraid. Master Bruce informs me that he is unconscious and might have a concussion, amongst other injuries. Miss Rachel, I am a qualified medic, but I fear that this might well be out of my purview. We need a doctor. However, I do not know of a doctor who would be discreet…I quite frankly find myself at a lost as to what to do right now…I'm so very sorry, Miss Rachel, I am not acting like a proper butler."

"Please don't apologize, Alfred, it's entirely understandable. You're worried about Dick," Rachel told him. Then she nodded slightly when an idea occurred to her. "And don't worry about the doctor. I got that covered. Are they back, yet?"  
>"No, but they should be here within moments."<p>

"When they get there, change Dick out of his Robin outfit and into some regular clothes," Rachel told him, as she began walking briskly towards the elevator. "Put him in his bedroom. I'll be there shortly with the doctor."  
>"Will it be someone whom we can trust?"<p>

"Trust _me_, Alfred, we'll be able to trust her," Rachel assured him.

She rode the elevator all the way down to the basement of police headquarters. Walking straight into the morgue, in-between a pair of naked cadavers that were laid out on a pair of examination tables, Rachel found the person whom she was looking for.

Jordan Cavanaugh glanced up at the Gotham City District Attorney with a surprised look on her face. She had been busy performing an autopsy with three other coroners assisting her.

Yet before Jordan could even say a word, Rachel said, "Dr. Cavanaugh, I need to speak with you in private right now."

"Certainly." If Jordan was shocked at Rachel's abrupt appearance and manner, she didn't show it. She calmly stripped off her gloves and smock and, after washing her hands in the sink, joined Rachel in her office. "What's the problem?"

"It's an extremely personal one," Rachel said. With a glance out the windows, to make sure none of Jordan's assistants were watching them, she added, "I know you've been helping with medical services for Alex's Meta Underground Railroad. I need those services right now. I'm sorry to be so abrupt, but this is an emergency."

"Not a problem. Who got hurt, and where are they?"

Rachel paused for a moment, as she considered how to phrase this. While Jordan was a trusted ally in the movement led by Alex to help hide Metas from persecution by the ever-advancing OHMR, she still didn't know anything about who Bruce and Dick really were, and nor was Rachel willing to spill the beans. Then she got an idea.

"It's Dick Grayson," Rachel flatly said.

Jordan looked confused. "Dick? Bruce's ward? What happened?"

"He's been helping hide Metas tonight when he got into an 'entanglement' and became seriously hurt," Rachel lied. "We'd take him to the hospital, but they'd be asking too many questions. Questions which would alert the attention of the OHMR."

"I understand," Jordan said with a nod. "They've been breathing down my neck, lately. I take it we'll be going to Wayne Manor?"

"Yes, we will. Thanks so much, Jordan!" Rachel's smile faded when she reflected on something that Jordan had just said. "You say the OHMR have been breathing down your neck?"

Jordan nodded as she grabbed her coat and a medical bag. "Well, at the risk of sounding paranoid, somebody's been following me lately. I went to lunch the other day, and there was a guy in a suit tailing me. I shook him off, only to find him wandering around the downstairs lobby. No matter what, no matter how careful I am, I just can't shake the feeling that I'm constantly being watched."

'Waller, you bitch,' Rachel thought darkly. She didn't put it past the head of the OHMR to set her dogs loose to watch them. And that suddenly gave Rachel a very scary thought. 'What if we're being watched right now?'

"Wait a minute," Rachel suddenly said. "Come with me for a moment."

Rachel took Jordan over to her office in the District Attorney's building, which was now linked to police headquarters, thanks to an all-weather, covered bridge that spanned the busy streets of Gotham several stories high.

Once in the DA's building, Rachel then took Jordan in the elevator down to the garage. She removed her cell phone and called her driver, Carl.

"Just take the limo out for a drive," Rachel told her driver. "Go for a nice, slow, leisurely drive around town. And be sure to take the limo out the main entrance. I want you to be seen."

"Yes, ma'am," Carl replied. "Um, where shall I pick you up?"

"You won't," Rachel said, as they reached her personal car. She opened the passenger door for Jordan. "It will just be you, Carl. Keep the windows rolled up. I assure you that you'll be in no danger; I just want to avoid some prying eyes."

"You got it, ma'am," Carl replied. "I'll take them on a nice little tour of the South Side."

"Thanks, Carl!" Rachel got into her car and started it up. When Jordan gave her a questioning look, she said, "Just sending out a decoy."

She drove her car up the ramp that led to a side exit on a quiet street. Rachel turned the car onto the street and then pulled it off to the side, where she sat and waited. Carl said he'd be going to the South Side, and in order to do that, he would be coming down this street.

"There he is," Rachel said, as she saw the limo come down the street and pass them by.

"Wait, don't go out, yet," Jordan told her, as she glanced in the side mirror. "Look!"

Rachel was stunned to see a car that had been parked further down the street from them abruptly turn its lights on and pull out. It raced past them, and Rachel then saw two men seated in the front seat. One of them looked like he was speaking on a walkie-talkie. Rachel had no doubt that they were her surveillance team from the OHMR.

"Are we clear?" Rachel asked.

After another glance in the passenger side mirror, Jordan nodded. "Street's clear."

Rachel pulled out and drove down the street, keeping an eye on her rear view mirrors. But there was nobody behind her. It looked as if they had actually shaken the OHMR from their tail.

"What're you looking for?" Rachel asked, when she saw Jordan glance up at the night skies.

"These guys don't use black helicopters, do they?" Jordan nervously asked. "Because I'm seeing something up there…."

In spite of herself, Rachel anxiously glanced upwards at the night sky, and what she had seen had damn near made her crash the car.

"LOOK OUT!" Jordan cried, as the large dark creature swooped down towards them.

Rachel brought the car to a screeching halt just as a pair of large claws swung down upon them. She let out a scream of terror as whatever the hell was flying up there had savagely struck the roof, jolting the car violently on its shock absorbers.

Rachel glanced out the rear window in a mixture of alarm and disbelief as the creature, whom she could barely make out in the darkness, swept out its massive wings and flew up into the night skies.

"What the hell was that thing?" Jordan asked, sounding frazzled.

"Damn good question," Rachel murmured. She turned back to the steering wheel and continued to drive. "One that we can talk about on the way. Dick still needs a doctor."

"God bless Gotham City," Jordan wearily said. "Just when you think you've seen the weirdest thing ever, this place still manages to shock you with something even weirder!"

**B&B**

Bruce Wayne let out a sigh of relief as he gazed one more time at Dick, who slept peacefully in his bed, before shutting the door to his room. He strode glumly down the hallway in Wayne Manor. It was three AM, but thanks to this crisis, Dick was the only one who was presently sleeping.

After thoroughly checking him out, Jordan said Dick suffered from a mild concussion. She prescribed plenty of sleep, and told Bruce and the others that they had to watch Dick carefully within the next 24 hours.

"It's wise to keep on guard and watch for any signs of his condition worsening within the next day. If this should occur, then take him directly to the hospital," Jordan had said. "But I don't think we have anything to worry about, as long as he stays in bed and rests up for the next week or so."

Bruce walked down the corridor, his mind going over their encounter with Ivy and Harley. And each time he replayed it, there was only one result: he had messed up, big time. The fact that Dick had badly overestimated Ivy, because he had never dealt with her, wasn't even a factor for Bruce. It was still all his fault. Bruce should have scoped out the area where they confronted Ivy and Harley much better. He also should have told Dick to wait, to hang back in reserve, while he dealt with Ivy on his own. Simply put, Bruce had messed up badly, and Dick was the one who paid for it.

'But as if dealing with Ivy and Harley wasn't enough, now there are these reports of that strange flying creature,' he thought. 'Apparently, it has nothing to do with Ivy; it's yet another threat for me to deal with.'

While Jordan had been was checking over Dick, Rachel had pulled Bruce aside and told him about their encounter with the flying creature. And then Olivia had arrived from the hospital, where she had heard about a case of a woman whose dog had seemingly been snatched from her by the monster. Olivia had told him that the woman in the hospital had thought the monster was Batman, who had snatched her dog for a snack. And, as if that wasn't enough, they'd also received a frantic call from Barbra, who told them of another attack by the strange bat creature at the Showcase Square Mall.

'Could it be another mutant, fleeing persecution from the OHMR?' Bruce wondered. 'If so, then why all the dive-bombing? It was acting more like a threat, rather than a refugee seeking sanctuary.'

He reached the balcony, which offered a view of the living room below, and saw Rachel leaning against the railing, giggling with delight at something below her. Barefoot, she had changed out of her DA business suit and into a casual, yet still fashionable, outfit of beige sweats. Her black hair was loose and flowing past her shoulders. When Bruce walked up next to her, Rachel giggled again and pointed at something below them.

Bruce saw Alex was busy teaching a reluctant Olivia how to dance in the living room. But Olivia just kept shaking her head, standing perfectly still, as Alex tried to show her a few dance moves. Finally, Alex grabbed Olivia's hands and tried to physically pull her into a dance move. The result was that a clumsy Olivia had mistimed her step and collided with Alex.

Olivia, shaking her head, just turned and started walking out the room.

"Where're you going?" Alex called after her.

"To help Alfred in the kitchen," Olivia said miserably. "Unless you want to teach me karaoke, as well?"

"Well, Metropolis does have a very good karaoke bar," Alex said with a shrug. "You want to try and…?"

"Oh, jeez, just leave me alone," Olivia muttered, as she stalked into the kitchen.

"You're going to be a lot of fun on this trip," an annoyed Alex said, as she followed Olivia, "just a barrel of laughs!"

"Alex was just trying to teach Liv a few dance moves so they could cut the rug while in Metropolis," Rachel explained. "But Liv still doesn't look as if she's too keen on going."

"God help Metropolis," Bruce said with a smile. Then his smile faded when he remembered the evening's dire events.

"Bruce, Dick will be fine," Rachel assured him. "We'll take good care of him."

"It's not only that," he admitted. "None of this would have even happened if I were on my game, Rachel. I screwed up tonight, badly."

When there was nothing but silence from her, Bruce glanced at Rachel and saw that she just gazed at him evenly.

"Why do we fall?" she asked softly.

Bruce let out a dismissive chuckle as he shook his head. That was what his father used to say to him whenever he suffered a setback as a little boy. The first time his dad said it to him was when he fell down the well and broke his leg. "Rachel, I know what you're trying to do, and I appreciate it, but…."

"If you know the answer then tell me," Rachel said. "It's a fair question, isn't it? Why do we fall?"

"So that we'll learn to pick ourselves up," Bruce replied.

"It's still good advice, Bruce," Rachel said softly. "You should heed it."

Despite his knee-jerk reaction to argue, Bruce had to concede that Rachel had an excellent point. Moping around, crying over spilt milk wasn't going to solve anything.

Besides, he had much better things to do right now. "Rachel, that bat creature you encountered earlier, you said that it had actually hit your car?" he asked.

Rachel nodded, as her eyes widened in fear at the memory. "Hard enough on the roof to send the whole car rocking back for a moment."

"Then there should be scratches on the roof," Bruce said. He turned and started walking in the direction of the garage. He was surprised to see Rachel was walking alongside him. "I thought you were going to join the others in a late supper/early breakfast."

"And miss playing detective with you?" Rachel asked, as she took his hand in her own. "Never!"

When they arrived in the garage, Bruce pulled out a wheeled platform and brought it over to Rachel's BMW. It was only three feet off the floor, just enough to allow them to examine the roof of Rachel's car. When Rachel stepped up onto the metal platform in her bare feet, she let out a groan of discomfort. "This is cold!" she complained.

"You've got about a dozen slippers that you never wear," Bruce lightly chided her. "They just collect dust in your closet."

"Give me a break, I wear shoes at work all day long," Rachel blandly replied. Then her face became horrified once she got a good look at the roof of her car. "Oh. My. God."

Bruce saw what she meant. The claw marks in the roof were pretty obvious. After doing some basic measurements, he figured the claws were slightly larger than the radius of his own hand, which made this one big son of a bitch.

As he examined the marking on the roof, something else occurred to Bruce, something disturbing. It appeared as if whatever had attacked Rachel's car had tried to grab it by the roof, as if in an attempt to fly off with it. But the car proved to be too big and heavy for it to do so.

Bruce thought about the dog being carried away by this thing and he realized what it was doing. It was hunting, right here in Gotham City. It was hunting for food.

"What the hell is going on?" Rachel asked, as she stared at the damaged roof of her car. "Bruce, what is this thing?"

"I don't know, Rachel," Bruce said. "But I promise you this: I'm going to find it, and then I'm going to stop it."

**B&B**

"Sleep easy," he whispered through the opened slat in the metal door.

The slumbering bat creature beyond the door hung upside-down from the ceiling, breathing softly with its arms wrapped tightly around its waist.

He closed the slat and proceeded to walk down the hallway to the control room at the end. Karin sat at the main console, carefully watching the media streams as they came in from TV, radio and the internet. From the smile on her face, he knew things were going well.

"How did we do?" he asked her.

Karin nodded in approval at him. "There's been several attacks, with one being a dog that was carried off. People at all of the scenes are blaming Batman for everything. The media's eating it up; it's now national news."

He just smiled at her. "That is excellent news, Karin. Looks like our first night was a big success."

Karin Grace held up a pair of Styrofoam cups containing champagne and gave him one. "To a successful campaign," she toasted.

"To a successful campaign," Rick Flagg said. But, before he could take a sip, there was one more thing he just had to add to the toast: "And to the complete and utter destruction of the Batman."

**To Be Continued...**


	3. Chapter 3

_My thanks to stargaze29 for the comments. I'd also like to thank those of you who favored either me, or this story._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Three**

Arkham Asylum had been completely renovated since the Joker blew the place to hell, enabling two thirds of its most dangerous criminally insane to escape. And yet to Amanda, despite the impressive security improvements that finally brought the forbidding fortress-like building into the twenty first century, Arkham Asylum was still a very creepy locale. With its sharp angles and spires, along with long corridors that were somehow still dark and dingy, regardless of how many lights there were, it still felt to Amanda like an unsafe and foreboding place.

She presently walked down one of these dank corridors, escorted by Cyril Warsen, the commander of her OHMR troopers, along with Commissioner Gordon and Dr. Jason Rayne. Rayne, a tall, lean African-American with a bald head and a no-nonsense attitude, was the latest administrator of Arkham. He'd taken charge of the facility while it was being renovated, and any hopes that Amanda had that he would be a valuable ally to the OHMR were quickly dashed when Rayne joined the Gotham City mayor, Gordon and D.A. Dawes in publicly opposing her visit with the Joker.

When Amanda had tried to make a personal appeal with a private phone call, Rayne had said, "The Joker is the closest thing we have to the devil, Ms. Waller. And the best thing you can do when guarding the devil is to just keep the bastard tightly and securely locked away forever. Keep him out of sight and out of mind of the public, for their own protection."

Thankfully, despite their best attempts, the Gotham City cabal had been circumvented by a federal judge, who ordered that Amanda had the right to speak with the Joker regarding issues of national security. Amanda knew that her own private guardian angel, Senator Varlis, had been responsible for getting the judge to rule in her favor. Now that she was finally inside, it was up to her to try and talk the Joker into working for them. She couldn't think of a reason why he would say no, especially since the Joker would be helping the OHMR to get rid of the Batman, his most hated enemy.

After walking through no less than five security checkpoints, they finally arrived at the interview room. Gordon and Rayne waited outside, while Cyril entered the room with her and closed the door behind them. The interview room was a sterile-looking place with white walls and ceiling and a newly polished tile floor.

The Joker sat strapped down to a chair behind a Plexiglas wall that separated him from Amanda and Cyril. Amanda was immediately struck at just how alabaster white the man's skin was, as he sat there regarding them with a slight smile, his arms tucked into a straight-jacket.

Amanda glanced at Cyril and nodded. He then took out a hand-held scanner and did a sweep of the entire room for any surveillance or listening devices. Cyril shook his head in the negative, then placed what he and his men affectionately called the Howler on the table behind which Amanda sat. The Howler was a newly invented device that sent out a jamming wave which blocked any spy devices that Cyril's scan might have missed.

"The room's clean," Cyril told her. "But I figured we still turn that on, just to be sure."

"Good idea. These people are working with the Batman," Amanda said, more for the Joker's benefit. "No telling what kind of high tech spying gadgets he might have given them."

"The watchers preventing anybody from watching them," the Joker abruptly said. "Now _that's_ ironic…."

"Do you see us as being the enemy?" Amanda asked him point blank. She felt a chill run up her spine when she gazed into his wide, unblinking eyes. Amanda mentally shook off the fear and kept her voice calm and steady. "I hope not. My name is Amanda Waller, and I'm the head of the Office of Human-Meta Relations. I've come a long way just to speak with you, Joker. Or should I call you Mr. Joker?"

"Call me Ishmael," he said flatly. "Or not. I'd shake your hand, Ms. Waller, but…." He shrugged his shoulders, indicating the straight-jacket that he wore.

Then his ruby red lips burst into a broad, unnatural grin that was almost predatory. "Nothing like a little straight jacket humor to get the ball rolling, eh, Mandy? May I call you Mandy? You have such a kind face…it's the first one I've seen where I didn't want to bash it in with a crowbar, and that's saying a lot."

"Watch it, you son of a bitch," Cyril growled, as he made a threatening move towards the Plexiglas.

"Tell Captain America there to calm down, Mandy," the Joker said. "I have no intention of pulling a Hannibal Lector by escaping while wearing your sliced-off face like a mask over my own. Lector always was very heavy handed, although he does have a wonderfully dry sense of humor, as well as an exquisite taste in opera. Now that he's back on the loose, you think old Hannibal will still correspond with me?"

Amanda girded herself against the Joker's verbal onslaught. She didn't know if the Joker had actually corresponded with one of the most notorious serial killers in the world, and nor did she care. If she was going to get him on her team, she had to reach out to him.

"If you were under _our _care, you could correspond with whomever you desire," Amanda said.

"I'm not a Meta, Mandy," the Joker shot back.

"You're still a supreme super villain, the Clown Prince Of Crime," Amanda said, in an attempt to appeal to his vanity. "One of the most famous criminals in the world."

The Joker regarded her coolly. "And why would I want to be under your care, Mandy? Arkham Asylum has movie nights every Tuesday and Thursday. Can you beat that? You want me to be a member of your little spa, sell me on it."

"The fact of the matter is, the OHMR sees Batman as being more of a threat than you right now," Amanda said. "You're Batman's greatest enemy; you know how to deal with him. We could use your advice."

That creepy grin, which stretched impossibly wide across the Joker's entire face, returned in force as he sat back in his chair. "So, you're taking on the Batman?"

"Yes. And there will soon be big changes coming to Gotham City, changes imposed by us," Amanda said, as she pressed her hard sell. "If you're with us, then you can be on the ground floor of this new world, Joker."

The Joker leaned forward. "You're forgetting something, Mandy. I _am_ the ground floor. And if you're seriously taking on the Batman, then you're also forgetting what a tenacious, hard-riding bastard he can be. He's a brilliant, coldly calculating tactician who's caught more than half the people in here."

"Are you saying he's better then you?" Amanda taunted him. "Is that why you won't help us take him down?"

"I'm saying that, out of all the posers on this ball of dust that we laughingly call a world, the Batman is the only one who is truly my equal. And if anybody is going to take him down, it shall be me. And I will do this without the help of you, or your little goose-stepping herd of slack-jawed sycophants."

"Don't tell me you're planning on escaping again?" Amanda asked him. "I don't think so. Because Rayne has got this place secured tighter than a drum all around you."

"On the contrary, I'm planning on making some popcorn, putting my feet up and watching the coming battle between you and the Batman," the Joker told her. "And I'll be rooting for the Dark Knight. Watching him flatten the OHMR should be even more fun than when he took down Cadmus."

'Damn you,' Amanda thought, as she stood up from the table. Although he made it pretty clear he wasn't going to help them, Amanda still couldn't help giving the Joker one last gibe. "Very well. You made your choice. But keep in mind that we have vast resources at our disposal, and time is on our side. The OHMR is very patient and determined. I can assure you that the Batman's days are numbered."

"I'm sure General Hardcastle had that very same thought," the Joker replied, "right before he became the Dark Knight's little bitch."

The Joker's wild, hyena-like laughter followed Amanda as she and Cyril quickly left the room. Gordon and Rayne fell into step beside them as they all walked back down the hallway.

"So tell me," Gordon said, a smirk on his face, "was it all that you had hoped for?"

Amanda just shook her head in disgust as the Joker's laughter continued to echo after her down the hallway.

**B&B**

"Nice of you to finally join the land of the living," Holly muttered, as she sat working before her laptop. She also had the TV set on, tuned to one of the local Gotham City news stations.

Selena had just finished tying off the front of the kimono that she had slipped on as she padded into the living room. Her short, dark brown hair was still spiky from having just gotten out of bed. She went to the expansive bay window and regarded the skyline of Gotham City with a smile.

She liked the view from this apartment. They should keep it in mind for the next time they come to Gotham. Selena always preferred renting a place in the city they were going to hit, because it always offered more privacy and less prying eyes than a hotel room.

She turned to say something to Holly…until Selena was struck by the fact that Holly still wore the same shirt and pants she had on when Selena last saw her before going to bed last night. "Did you go to sleep at all?"

Holly just smiled at her. "It's that noticeable, huh?"

"What could be so important that could keep you up all night?" Selena asked with concern.

"Oh, nothing, just a large flying bat creature that prevented you from pulling off last night's job by attacking you for no good reason," Holly said sarcastically. She gestured at the TV. "It's all over the news."

"My fight with Dracula?"

"No, Dracula himself was all over the news," Holly said. She pointed at the computer screen, which showed a collection of headlines regarding sightings of the bat creature. "Apparently, you weren't the only one he picked on last night. He was a very busy boy."

Selena came over and stood by Holly as she scanned the headlines on the computer, as well as watched the news on the TV. She was struck at the fact that nearly all of the news reports blamed Batman for the attacks. She glanced at Holly, puzzled. "I see that IQs have dropped sharply in Gotham since we've been away."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean they're all blaming Batman for these attacks, and they're dead wrong. I know what I saw, Holly. And it wasn't Batman, that's for sure. It was a man-sized bat. Maybe even slightly larger than a man. But it was the largest bat I had ever seen."

"Well, I searched the web, and the largest bat _I_ ever found, one that's been scientifically cataloged, is the large flying fox, or Pteropus vampyrus. This sucker lives in Southeast Asia and has a wingspan of over four feet."

Selene stared critically at the photo of the so-called "flying fox" on the website that Holly showed her. Then she shook her head. "What I met on that roof was far larger, and meaner looking. And it had a face that looked like a man's, only with really large, black eyes and huge ears."

"A large, man-like bat? A Man Bat." Holly grew thoughtful. "I recall you referred to it as being Batman's pet last night. Have you considered that?"

"What? That Batman keeps giant bat creatures as pets?"

"Stranger things have occurred," Holly told her. "The Batman always struck me as being very driven. This might actually be a new tactic being deployed by him."

But Selena shook her head once more. "Yes, he's driven, but not _that_ driven. Besides, he's more of a hands on type. Batman would never delegate his crime fighting duty to anybody, much less to a monstrosity from a mad scientist's lab."

Selena paused when something mentally struck her. "Mad scientist's lab…you know, speaking of such, I wonder what the Star Labs here in Gotham has been up to, recently? Perhaps creating a bat creature? Maybe I should pay them a visit, after-hours, and see what I can find."

"Why?" Holly asked her bluntly. "I thought we were in Gotham to pull off a job. If there's a big Man Bat flying around town, let Batman handle it."

"Ordinarily, I'd agree with you, Holly. But, as you reminded me last night, you were kidnapped the last time we were in Gotham. It was Batman who helped me to get you back, safe. We owe him, kiddo. We owe him big."

Holly sat back in her chair with an averse look on her face. "If you think that by helping him in any way, it will make Batman cut you some slack, you're seriously wrong."

"I realize that Batman is under no obligation whatsoever to help me," Selena said. "Regardless of what I do for him."

"So why should we deign to help him?"

Selena glanced back at the TV, which babbled on about how a special group of investigators from the Office Of Human-Meta Relations may soon be called in to help the local authorities in hunting down the Batman. And while she watched, a dreaded realization blossomed within her mind.

"Sources in the OHMR say that it's obvious that the Batman has become extremely unstable and even more dangerous in light of these attacks," the news anchor firmly intoned. "And that the only way to finally make Gotham City safe for innocent people is to get rid of the Dark Knight once and for all."

"Because the government has never actively quit hunting the Batman," Selene finally said. "If anything, their persecution of him is just getting worse. And that really sucks."

"What does any of this have to do with the government?"

"Think about it, Holly, a bat creature that's been created in…oh, say, Star Labs, is being used to frame the Batman, thereby giving the government big guns the excuse they need to muscle in on Gotham City," Selene told her. "I don't have the evidence to prove it, yet. But Star Labs is the best place to start looking."

When it appeared that Holly was about to object once more, Selene cut her off when she bent down, placed her hand on her dear friend's shoulder and said, "If it weren't for the Batman's help, Holly, you wouldn't even be here, arguing with me. Like I said before, we owe him, big time. And helping him now may not earn me any brownie points with the Dark Knight. But it'll make _me_ feel better. All right?"

"All right, but before you get all Nancy Drew on me and go sleuthing," Holly said, turning back to her computer, "look at this. Poison Ivy also struck at police headquarters last night. She busted Harley Quinn out of jail."

"What's that got to do with us?"

"As a result of Ivy's attack, the entire Major Case Squad, your close and dear friends, have all been laid up in the hospital," Holly told her with a smile. "I just figured that, while the dogs are out sick…."

"…the cat can come out and play," Selena finished the sentence, her lips curling into a grin. "You figured right. Looks like this girl detective will just have to put her sleuthing on hold…right after she grabs the diamonds tonight."

**B&B**

When Olivia and Alex arrived at Metropolis International Airport, Lana Lang had sent a car and driver to greet them. The new highway that connected the city to the airport dove into a tunnel that went under the bay. Once they emerged from the tunnel, Alex smiled once she saw they were in Metropolis itself.

Unlike Gotham City, which seemingly was always perpetually in shadow even in the daytime, Metropolis was a brightly lit city with towering spires of glass and steel that gleamed majestically in the sunlight. It was such a beautiful city, with a bright, cheery skyline that appeared to welcome the sunny skies, that Alex almost had a momentary feeling of regret that the Witness Protection Program had placed her in Gotham City, instead of here all those years ago.

'But if I never had been placed in Gotham by the feds, then I never would have run into Liv,' Alex thought, as she gazed lovingly at her life partner, and best friend, as she sat beside her in the back seat of the limo. Olivia wore a pair of sunglasses as she stared pensively out the window.

Alex took Olivia's hand in her own and said, "This is really nice, isn't it?"

"Yeah, I guess…."

Olivia flinched as Alex tickled her side. "You think? Don't you know for sure?"

"Alex, c'mon," Olivia said, chuckling in spite of herself. "Stop."

"I'll stop when you take off the damn sunglasses," Alex said, as she held up her hands in a threatening manner. "I want to see your gorgeous eyes. Right now."

"All right, all right," Olivia said. She giggled as she quickly removed the sunglasses. "You happy?"

"I'm ecstatic," Alex said.

When they kissed, Alex noticed that Olivia was holding back somewhat. "You're not still angry about us having to attend this police convention, are you, Liv?"

"I'm more annoyed, really," she admitted. "There's so much going on back home. For one thing, Dick was badly hurt."

"But he's fine," Alex reminded her. "He looked much better when we saw him before we left this morning."

"Yeah, you're right, he did," Olivia quickly amended. Then she frowned. "But there's the situation with the whole MCS being laid out on its feet by Ivy."

"But they'll all be fine, as well," Alex told her.

"That's true, but the fact that Gordon wants half of the SVU's detectives to work the MCS's cases is annoying. I mean, I understand why he did it, and support his decision. The MCS detectives will be out of action for a while, and crime never sleeps. But I just wish I was there to help coordinate things."

"I know, that's kind of rough."

"And then there's that weird mutant, or monster, or whatever the hell it was that people kept seeing last night," Olivia said.

"Oh, that reminds me," Alex said. She pulled out her cell phone and checked for messages, both voice and text. "Nothing. Damn…."

"What is it, sweetie?"

"I asked Marguerite to keep her ear to the ground for any information pertaining to this mysterious creature that everybody saw," Alex said. Then, after a glance at the driver, which reassured her that he could not hear them through the glass, Alex continued in a whisper: "I figured this might be a new meta, someone we haven't heard of, who was looking for sanctuary in Gotham City. Marguerite promised she would ask her contacts for me and call if she had anything, but so far, nothing."

"Maybe this was an honest to god monster," Olivia said, her mouth spreading into a smile. "You know, like what Babs told us her friend kept calling it?"

"Godzilla, but with wings!" Alex said with a laugh, mimicking Barbra's annoyed tone. "Which one of Babs' friends is that, again? Alice? Oh, God, that's so cute!"

"Doesn't she mean Rodan?" Olivia, who was also laughing, added. She shook her head, then became serious. "Bruce said that if they had been in the-" She also stopped to double-check on the driver, to make sure he couldn't overhear. "If they had been in the Prowler, he would have gone after it."

"What do you think it is?" Alex asked her.

Olivia shrugged. "I wish I knew. Hell, I wish I was still there, helping Bruce to sort this out."

"Maybe, if we're lucky, flying Godzilla was just passing through."

"I don't think we're _ever_ that lucky, are we, Alex? I mean, with the way our luck goes, we've probably caught the first glimpse of a new super villain."

"Maybe it's just as well we've managed to get out of town for a few days," Alex said with a sigh. "Hey, maybe when we get back, all of the problems will just magically go away!"

She glanced hopefully at Olivia…then they both shook their heads at the same time and, in unison, they said, "NAH!"

When their driver pulled up to the front doors of Lana's building, they saw Chloe Sullivan was outside, waiting for them. Dressed in an opened hoodie over a sports bra and bicycle shorts, she wore flip-flop sandals.

"What the hell has she been up to?" Olivia asked with a thoughtful frown, when she saw Chloe's workout attire. "But then, with her, I'm almost afraid to ask!"

"Now, behave yourself!" Alex chided her. "She and Lana were extremely nice to invite us to stay with them while we attended the police convention."

"I'll be nice, I promise," Olivia said, as they got out of the car.

"Welcome to Metropolis!" Chloe called cheerily to them. After exchanging hugs with the petite blonde, Olivia and Alex went back to the trunk of the limo, where the driver had taken out their bags.

Chloe insisted on helping them carry their bags into the building, which she took them into through a side entrance in the gym. Once they emerged in the grand lobby, Alex let out a gasp when she saw that it was a spacious mall that was filled with shops and a mini-grocery store. A monorail station was on the next level, and Alex was fascinated to see how this building was almost like a mini city in itself, while still being tied to Metropolis as a whole.

"Nice, isn't it, Liv?" she said to Olivia, as they rode up in the glass elevator.

"Yeah, it's great," Olivia replied, with a nod at Chloe.

But despite her politeness, Alex could tell that Olivia still really missed Gotham City terribly. In fact, a part of Alex wished she could be back home, as well. For she realized that Olivia had a point; there was just too much going on in Gotham for them to just up and leave. But they really didn't have much of a choice, so she just shrugged off her feelings and tried to make the most of it.

When they arrived at Lana's level, she was there to greet them in the elevator foyer. Alex and Olivia had put their bags down long enough for them to each to give Lana a hug in greeting. Then all four women proceeded into the luxurious apartment, chatting merrily away.

As they sat out on the terrace, sipping iced tea, Alex was pleased to learn that Lana and Chloe still maintained the good fight against Lex Luthor and his financial empire, which, to an intimidated Alex, looked as threatening as ever. And, as if that wasn't enough, Lana had even scarier news: she and Chloe had recently found out that Luthor was giving serious consideration to running for president!

But while Alex was frightened at the very thought of a President Lex Luthor, a blasé Olivia had just waved her hand and said, "He can't be any worse than the last scumbag who we had in the Oval Office. That moron had to resign because he was responsible for the Cadmus fiasco."

"Luthor would be worse," Lana said with a solemn shake of her head.

"Much worse," Chloe added. "If you think the OHMR are bad now, imagine what they'd be like with Luthor as president…you know, the very same Luthor who hates Superman, and all superheroes like him?"

"But how much better would life be for Luthor if he were president?" Alex asked. "I mean, right now, he's easily the richest, most powerful man in the world."

"Next to Bruce," Olivia corrected.

"Next to Bruce," Alex repeated. "But my point is, being president is such a high profile job, one with a spotlight shining on you 24/7. What would Luthor have to gain in pursuing the presidency? What would he get that he doesn't have now?"

"Very good point, Alex," Lana said. "But you're forgetting something: Lex Luthor is an egomaniac."

Chloe nodded in agreement. "He needs to be president just to soothe his ego. And he has the resources to pull it off."

"But Luthor being president is still a very big if," Olivia told them. "Alex is right about how being president puts a spotlight on you. For Luthor, being president may soothe his ego, but it will also make him an already bigger target than he already is now."

"But, with the power of the U.S. government behind him, Luthor may be just as invulnerable as Superman," Lana said with dread.

Olivia shook her head. "In a free society, nobody is truly invincible. We took down Cadmus, and we'll eventually take down the OHMR, as well. If Luthor really wants to be the next big problem, then fine. He can get in line, and we'll all knock him down to size as well."

"Hear, hear!" Chloe said, as they all clinked their glasses together in a toast.

Later, as they both got settled in the spacious bedroom suite that Lana had made up for them, Alex gave Olivia a kiss on the cheek. They were getting ready for a dinner later that night that would be hosted by the Metropolis Police Benevolent Society.

"Not that I mind," Olivia said, looking puzzled, "but what was that for?"

"For lifting everybody's spirits before, when we were talking about Luthor being president. It looked like Lana and Chloe really needed that pep talk."

"I highly doubt Luthor would ever run for president, anyway," Olivia said, as she dismissed the idea with a wave of her hand. "He may be a major scumbag, but I don't think Luthor is crazy enough to even want the job."

"I just wish people like Luthor would just go away," Alex said plaintively. Sitting on the edge of the bed, clad only in her bra and panties, she suddenly felt very tired. The combination of running the Underground Meta Railroad, while ducking the ever present glare of the OHMR, in addition to serving her duties as an ADA, had lately made her feel extremely run down.

Alex let out a heavy sigh of relief when Olivia came up from behind her and thoroughly massaged her neck and shoulders. She spent a good twenty minutes just working on Alex in silence, and Olivia's firm touch instantly melted the rigid tension within Alex's muscles.

"Don't let the bastards run you down, sweetie," Olivia whispered into Alex's ear, which she kissed.

Now it was Alex's turn to feel ticklish as Olivia reached around from behind and playfully rubbed her hands all over Alex's bare stomach. Then Olivia abruptly stopped and said, "I don't believe this!"

"What?" Alex glanced out the window and saw a plane flying by. It towed a message behind that read: Have a great police convention!

"I swear to Christ, this city is just too frigging cheerful for it's own good," Olivia muttered in disgust. "No wonder Superman, that overgrown boy scout, shacks up here…."

This caused Alex to break out in such a hysterical fit of giggles that she had to lay down on the bed just to catch her breath. When Alex had finally ceased, Olivia just gazed down at her lovingly as she slowly caressed Alex's face, her neck, and then her chest.

"Wait," Alex abruptly said, "do we have time? We have that dinner…."

"My dearly beloved Alex," Olivia said, as she proceeded to gently undo the clasp on Alex's bra. "We will always have time for this."

As Olivia pulled off her bra, Alex nodded in understanding. "So we'll be fashionably late…."

**B&B**

Siegel Square was a popular shopping and meeting spot in Metropolis that was crowded with shoppers on a daily basis. Located in the center of the city, it had easy access via car or the monorail. It wasn't unusual for artists or street performers to set up shop along the promenade area. And so, when the large, burly man showed up in the red armored suit, people actually gathered around him, thinking he was about to put on a show.

"Evening, folks," the man said. He wore his hair in the crew-cut style and spoke with a British cockney accent. "Hope you enjoy the show!"

He was about to put on a massive helmet over his head, until he saw a young woman in her twenties who stood recording him with her cell phone by a wall. "Oi, love," he called to her, "you mind moving out of the way?"

When the woman moved over to the side with the rest of the crowd, leaving the wall completely clear, the man in the strange outfit just smiled keenly at her. "There's a good lass! Thanks, darling!"

He then placed the heavy looking helmet on his head and then ran into the wall at full speed. The crowd, most of whom were expecting him to just bounce off the wall as part of a gag, were stunned when the man ran straight through the brick and mortar as if it were made of paper. He stuck his helmeted head out of the hole he'd just bashed through the wall and said, "You all having a laugh, yet? Eh? Well, how about this?"

The crowd let out a collective startled gasp as the man smashed his way back out through the wall. People starting running from the flying debris, thinning the crowd to a few brave souls who were still curious to see what this guy was doing.

The wall the strange man had smashed through belonged to a store called Sally's Scent Shoppe. The man ignored the screams of both the terrified customers and store clerks within as he smashed through the wall once more, which caused the roof to creak and wobble dangerously.

The young woman who had been recording all of this on her cell phone was the first to see the danger. "Get out!" she screamed at the frightened people inside the store. He's gonna bring it down! Get out!"

"Brains _and_ good looks, too," the large man said, as he gazed at the young woman with admiration. "Fancy a drink later, darling?"

But the woman ignored him as she and the remaining crowd all fled the scene. The man ran through the wall once more, effortlessly knocking out a support beam in the process, and the entire store collapsed with a loud groan. The armored man popped up from the wreckage and grinned at another young woman in a trench coat, the last member of the crowd, who had bravely remained behind.

"That was loads of fun," the man said to her. "Got another store you want for me to kill?"

But the woman, a brunette whose long hair was bound behind her head in a sensible bun, just nodded absently at him. "Take your pick," she said. "There's many more around us."

The man then proceeded to ram himself through the wall of the adjacent store, which sent more panicked shoppers running for their lives.

But instead of watching him, the young woman in the trench coat instead stared intently up at the night skies. She appeared to be waiting for something. Or someone.

**B&B**

Kal-El figured he do a brief patrol over the city before returning to his apartment. Clark Kent was due over at the Shuster Convention Hall to help Lois and Jimmy with the Daily Planet's coverage of the police convention, which kicked off tonight with a special PBA dinner. Ever since the news came out of Gotham City about the strange attacks by a bat-like creature, Perry had been adamant that they try and corner Olivia Benson with an interview. Perry was convinced that the Batman had finally gone nuts, and wanted to get Benson's take on it, since she was known as 'Batman's Buddy.'

The situation in Gotham unsettled Kal-El to no end. He knew full well that the Batman couldn't have been behind the attacks. Yet he was also annoyed at how the Batman seemingly didn't care about what people thought of him. Despite the fact that the Batman was one of the most bravest, and noblest men he knew, Kal-El was always puzzled at how the Dark Knight almost encouraged people to believe that he was some kind of a threat to society.

'Perhaps if Ms. Waller could be convinced that Batman was truly a benefit to Gotham,' Kal-El thought. 'Then the OHMR would…eh?'

His thoughts were interrupted by a large plume of smoke that rose from Siegel Square. Then Kal-El was stunned to see one of the buildings abruptly collapse. When he flew directly over the site, he spied a large man in heavy red armor who was smashing his way through the rubble of the store he had just caused to fall apart.

Kal-El remained hovering over the area, doing a quick search for anybody who might be trapped beneath the rubble with his x-ray vision. When he was assured there was nobody who needed his immediate help, he placed his two clenched fist out in front of him and dove straight down until he slammed right into the red armored man.

Kal-El's blow sent the man right into the wall, which crumbled down around him. An enraged Kal-El got a good look at the massive damage the man had caused and angrily said, "You mind telling me what your problem is, buddy?"

"Excuse me, Superman?" a young woman in a trench coat said, as she came up from behind him. "I think I can explain…."

"Miss, you really should get out of-" Kal-El began to say.

But he never finished, for the petite woman abruptly punched him in the face with a staggering blow that looked as if it actually emitted a brief flash of light. The force of the blow, along with the fact that he had been caught off guard, sent Kal-El reeling into the wall, which shuddered with his impact.

The big red-armored man stood up and dusted himself off. He came over and kicked Kal-El with all of his might. That kick sent Kal-El through the wall and into the next store, which, thankfully, was already empty of innocent people. A dazed Kal-El found himself covered with stuffed animals.

The red-armored man smashed his way through the wall, followed by the young woman, who had stripped off her trench coat, revealing a silvery skin tight bodysuit that showed off her ample physique nicely.

"So this is Superman," the armored man said in derision. "Not very bloody super, is he, Arclight?"

"No, he isn't, Juggernaut," the woman said with a sneer. "Now _this_ is going to be fun!"

As he warily got to his feet for round two, Kal-El grimly thought, 'Looks like Lois and Jimmy will just have to interview Benson without me….'

**B&B**

The PBA dinner was a real stuffed-shirt affair, which bored Olivia to no end. But at least it gave her a chance to mingle with some old friends, like Munch and Fin, whom she used to hang out with in the SVU in Manhattan. Her old partner, Elliot, wasn't there, and when she asked about him, both Munch and Fin just shook their heads dismally.

"Had a bad situation go down in the SVU bullpen recently," Munch told her. "Elliot had no choice but to shoot a teenage girl dead."

"Oh, my God," Olivia said, shocked.

"It was a justified shooting," Fin quickly added. "The kid had a gun, and she would have killed people had Elliot not stopped her. Elliot's been cleared by Internal Affairs. But-"

"But, what?" Olivia prompted.

"Cragen gave him some time off," Munch said. "But Dani thinks Elliot's going to quit."

Dani Beck was Elliot's replacement partner, once Olivia had made the hard decision to leave the Manhattan SVU, in order to join the Gotham City SVU as its commander a few years ago. As his new partner, Dani worked with Elliot day in and day out, and if she thought he was going to quit, then there was a very good chance that he might.

But one aspect that really bothered Olivia was the fact that something this earth shattering had occurred to Elliot, her former partner, and the man who taught her more about detective work than anyone else, and yet she didn't hear about it until now. She had wanted to break out her cell phone right then and there and call Elliot, but the dinner was being called to order by Commissioner Henderson of the Metropolis Police, who stood at the podium.

Olivia reluctantly returned to her assigned table, where she found Alex sitting and chatting amiably with their tablemates, a pretty brunette and an equally pretty blonde woman.

"Hey, you!" Alex said, as Olivia sat down next to her. "I saw Casey and Abbie Carmichael here!" Alex gestured at the brunette woman who sat across from them and added, "And, speaking of whom, doesn't she look just like someone we know?"

Olivia had been bursting to tell Alex about Elliot, but figured now was not a good time for that. She glanced at the brunette and did a double take. The woman looked exactly like Abbie, who once served as their ADA back when Olivia was working with Elliot in the prehistoric days of the Manhattan SVU. In fact, the woman looked _so_ much like Carmichael that Olivia asked, "Abbie?"

"I know, right?" Alex said with a laugh. Turning to the woman, she added, "I swear, you could be Abbie's twin sister. You look so much like her! We'll have to introduce you to her, later."

"How about introducing _me_ to them right now?" Olivia asked.

"Oh, Liv, sorry!" Alex said. "This is detective Jane Rizzoli and her good friend, Dr. Maura Isles. They're from Boston. Jane works homicide and Maura's a coroner there."

"Pleased to meet you," Olivia said, as she shook both of their hands.

"Likewise," Jane said. She glanced with a smile at her friend, Maura, who stared with such intensity at Olivia that it looked like she was going to explode. "Well, here she is, Maura, so go head. Geek out."

Maura shot her an annoyed look. "What do you mean?"

Jane just chuckled. "Maura's has this little theory about the Batman, and ever since she found out that we'd be sitting with you, she's been aching to share it with you, Inspector."

"Oh, really?" Olivia said. She turned her gaze to Maura, who looked a little uncomfortable at being put on the spot. "And what would that be, that he's a vampire?"

"No, nothing so prosaic," Maura said, with a shake of her head. "I think he's all too human, but that he might get his powers from somehow ingesting the blood of a bat. And, judging from the attacks that Batman committed last night, I believe that these powers are now causing him to-"

"Batman didn't commit those attacks," Olivia said, cutting her off.

Maura stared at her, surprised. "He didn't?"

Both Olivia and Alex shook their heads in the negative at her.

"Then who did?" Maura asked.

"We can't really talk about that," Olivia said, "because it's still…."

"…under investigation," Jane said in unison with Olivia. She nodded her head in understanding. "It's an ongoing case that you can't comment on; right, we get that."

"But I can tell you that Batman didn't do it," Olivia added.

"Well, there's one other thing that I've been meaning to ask you," Maura said, just as the lights began to dim in the hall.

"Looks like Commissioner Henderson is about to give his welcoming speech," Alex whispered. "Better hold off on this until later."

"Yeah," Jane added to Maura, "so _you'd_ better hold off on the nerdgasm. Just for now."

Maura just gave her a mortified look. "What? Do I look like I'm about to…?"

Olivia and the others at her table were all startled by a loud flash, followed by an explosion, that came from the center of the room. Then, she watched in growing horror as the waiters all over the hall abruptly dropped the trays they'd been carrying and held their hands up, which all glowed unnaturally bright.

"Excuse me, Commissioner Henderson," one of the waiters said, as he held up his radiant, glittering hands, "but we have something to say, as well. We are Intergang, and everyone here is our hostage!"

After sharing stunned looks of disbelief with Rizzoli and Isles, Olivia then wearily glanced at Alex and said, "Well, hon, it's now official: I hate Metropolis."

**To Be Continued...**


	4. Chapter 4

_I would like to thank stargaze29 for the kind comments. I'd also like to thank those of you who've favored either me or this story._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Four**

Rachel was about to settle in for a comfortable night of watching TV, while looking over legal briefs, when her cell phone rang. Checking the screen, she saw that she had a call from Vincent Sezary. Rachel let out a weary sigh as she reluctantly stood up from the sofa and accepted the call from her campaign manager. Barefoot, she wore ash gray slacks with a black turtleneck sweater, along with her reading glasses. "Yes, Vince?"

"Just want to check with you about the possibility of pressing the flesh at the Showcase Square Mall this weekend?" Vincent asked.

Rachel frowned in puzzlement. "I thought we agreed there wasn't any need for a public appearance from now until the election."

"That was when there was nobody running against you," Henry said. "Now there is. Rodger Jerome just threw his hat in the ring this afternoon."

"Who the hell is Rodger Jerome?" Rachel, dumbfounded, asked.

"Your new opponent in the District Attorney race," Vincent said. "He announced his candidacy this afternoon, but his press conference got drowned out by the hysterics going on over in Metropolis, which is a lucky break for us."

Rachel had been running a one-horse race for reelection to the DA's office since her political rival, Thomas Enrick, was killed right along with his financial backers, the Hartfords, by the Joker. Rachel was actually happy to hear of a new challenger for her job, since she hated the thought of winning an election simply because she was the only person left alive. "Who is he? Do you know yet?"

"He's a plumber who claims he got sick and tired of backroom politics," Vincent said with a derisive chuckle. "We're still investigating his background, such as who's backing him financially. But, so far, it looks like you can easily beat him with just your record of experience alone. Hell, he's not even a lawyer, Rachel!"

Rachel abruptly went over and changed the channel on the TV to the news. "Wait, you said something about Metropolis. What's going on?"

"Just some more super powered bad guys beating up Superman again," Vincent replied. He made it sound like it was no big deal. "You know, I was never crazy about that Batman…too much of a wildcard for me. But I do like how he takes care of business around here. It's all through fear: Batman understands it and because he uses it so well, nobody would dare to mess with him."

But Rachel ignored him when she pulled off her glasses to get a better look at the news on the TV, which reported on a developing hostage crisis in the Shuster Convention Center. Rachel immediately thought of Olivia and Alex. "Vincent, I'm going to have to call you back…."

"Tell you what, I'll go over the details with you in your office tomorrow morning, ok? I should have more information on this Jerome character for you."

"Sounds great, Vince, thanks." When Rachel hung up with him, she instantly sped-dialed Jim Gordon, who confirmed her worst fear, that Olivia and Alex were among the hostages taken by the group.

"I've lit the Bat-Signal," Jim told her. "But so far Batman hasn't responded. I'm hoping he's already on his way there."

'If he's not, I'll make sure he is,' Rachel thought, after she ended the call with Jim and raced downstairs to the Batcave. As she stood on the ledge that overlooked the cave, she was pleased to see Bruce was already half-dressed as the Dark Knight, while Alfred and Dick, who were huddled by the Batcomputer, fed him updated information on the situation.

When she emerged from the elevator, Rachel said, "Saw the news on TV and then called Gordon. He confirmed that Liv and Alex were among those taken hostage at the PBA dinner."

"Damn it," Bruce muttered. He was completely clad in the Batsuit, save for the cowl. "Was afraid of that…."

"You should let me come with you," Dick pleaded with him.

"Absolutely not!" Rachel blurted out. "You're still in no shape to go battling a band of terrorists right now!"

Dick ignored her as he stared hard at Batman, who had just put on his cowl. "You're going to need back up."

"Rachel's right, Dick. You're still sidelined, due to your injuries," Batman said. Rachel was always amazed at how even his voice automatically changed once he put the full suit on; it was as if he'd become another person entirely. "But you really want to help? Call up the blueprints for the Shuster Convention Center. Once you've got them, you and Alfred can guide me in from here."

"I've heard Superman is busy fighting somebody right now?" Rachel asked.

"Indeed he is, Miss Rachel," Alfred spoke up from the Batcomputer. He pointed at one of the monitors. "It appears that he has his hands full at the moment."

Rachel watched as an aerial camera, possibly from a helicopter, showed a live feed of Superman in an intense battle with two super powered foes, a man and a woman. The area they fought in looked like a disaster zone.

"Hell of a time for Supes to be busy," Dick said.

"It's been a standard tactic in the past for Luthor to hire super powered thugs to divert Superman from his latest scheme," Batman said.

"Is that what you think is happening here?" Rachel asked him. "Superman's being diverted from the hostage situation by Luthor?"

"Superman's being diverted from something, but not by Luthor," Batman replied. He pointed at the battle on the screen. "That's Juggernaut and Arclight who're fighting Superman right now. They're both devout members of the Brotherhood of Mutants. And the Brotherhood work for nobody but Magneto."

His cape whipped around as Batman strode up to the hanger, towards the Prowler. Although he got into the aircraft and took off, Batman still kept in contact with them while en route to Metropolis over the comm on the Batcomputer.

After working intently at the keyboard, Dick said, "Got the blueprints of the Shuster Center, Batman. Sending you a copy, now."

"Excellent, Robin."

"If we will be talking you through the Shuster center," Alfred added, "then you may wish to leave your electronic blocker off, sir. Or else it will jam all communications between us, as well."

"I wasn't planning on using the blocker, anyway," Batman told them. "I was hoping you would hack into the Shuster Center's surveillance system and get a look at what's going on in there."

"Assuming Intergang hasn't shut down the surveillance themselves," Dick said, as he got to work. He shook his head in frustration when he came to a roadblock while getting past the security firewall. "Damn it, Babs should really be doing this, she's better at hacking stuff than I am. But don't tell her I said that!"

Rachel nervously paced back and forth behind him and Alfred at the Batcomputer. "Who are these Intergang people anyway?" she asked.

"A gang of thieves armed with highly advanced technology supplied to them by Darkseid," Batman replied over the comm. "Superman shut them down for good a few years back, but apparently there's a faction of the group that's still active."

"Oh yeah! Got the surveillance footage, Batman," Dick announced. "Piping it in to you, now."

Rachel leaned over both Alfred and Dick's shoulders as they watched the footage from the Shuster Center. Rachel flinched when she saw a man dressed as a waiter shoot glowing bolts of energy from his hands.

"Geez, you wouldn't dare stiff the help at _that_ place," Dick commented.

Alfred leaned forward and said, "Are you getting these images, sir?"

"Yes, they appear to be using a variation on Iron Man's palm repulsor rays," Batman said. "Has the media reported their demands, yet?"

"They haven't said anything, yet, sir," Alfred replied. "They say that police hostage negotiators are on the scene, but Intergang thus far has not made contact with them."

"Perhaps they'll be more open to speaking with me," Batman said darkly.

**B&B**

"Oh, dear God!" Alex cried in horror.

Olivia just stood and stared, dazed, at the flaming figure who writhed on the floor before them. It had been a San Francisco detective, an old-school Inspector named Callahan with more guts than brains, who bravely drew his weapon on their captors. But one of the waiters from hell merely opened his hands and had reduced him to a charred cinder with a blast of energy. One of the hostage takers came over with a fire extinguisher and put out the flames on the smoldering corpse.

"Any other heroes in the crowd?" the lead waiter shouted. Olivia sarcastically thought of him as the Busboy. He held up his glowing hands.

Jane Rizzoli instinctively stood up alongside Olivia and reached for her gun. Olivia grabbed her arm and shook her head. "You want to wind up like that guy?"

"But we're cops," Jane hotly whispered. "We've all got guns…."

"And we're outgunned by the waiters," Olivia told her. Her eyes grew wide when one of the waiters noticed them. "Release your gun, right now."

But the waiter came over to them and opened his hand. Olivia saw there was a device of some kind strapped to his palm that began to glow. Olivia was afraid that this might well be the very last thing she would see on earth.

Jane abruptly held her arms up. "Ok! You win! We give up!"

Both Alex and Maura got up and stood in front of Olivia and Jane. "Don't shoot them, please!" Alex frantically pleaded.

"They surrender!" Maura added, waving her hands. "In fact, we _all_ surrender!"

"You've more than made your point," Commissioner Henderson called out to the hostage takers from the podium. "In fact, let me make it easy for you: as the commissioner, the ranking officer here, I hereby order all police officers in this hall to not offer any further resistance. Satisfied?"

It looked as if the man was still going to shoot them all, until the Busboy abruptly called, "Bring them out here, in front of the commissioner."

'Oh crud,' Olivia thought with dread, as she, Alex, Jane and Maura were all hauled to the center of the room before the podium. Olivia and Jane were stripped of their guns, which they carried in their purses.

Once they were lined up in front of the commissioner, facing the crowds seated at their tables, the busboy ordered then to kneel down on the floor where their hands were bound together in front of them.

While this occurred, a man in a suit stood up from his table with his hands held high and cautiously approached them. The Busboy waved off his men who moved to intercept him; he allowed the man to come forward. "What do you want?" Busboy asked.

"My name is Aaron Hotchner, I am a special agent with the FBI," the intense looking man calmly introduced himself. He gestured at the bound Olivia, who was now being gagged by her captors. "There's no need to do this. We swear we will offer no further resistance to you. Just let these ladies return to their table."

"These ladies will be the first to suffer our wrath the next time anybody in here does something stupid," Busboy said. He pointed a glowing finger at Hotchner. "And that includes you, Mr. FBI boy. Get back to your table!"

Hotchner shook his head as he gave the bound and gagged women a dismal look. "Sorry, ladies…just hang in there."

Olivia had wanted to thank him for his efforts, anyway, but her gag prevented that. She glanced over to her right and saw a terrified Maura had placed her head against a protective Jane's shoulder. That caused Olivia to glance to her left, at Alex; who had this oddly wry look in her eyes that seemed to say, 'well, here we are, in trouble again!' In response, Olivia reached out and tightly held Alex's bound hands with her own.

A woman stood up from the crowd and waved her hand. "Excuse me?"

"I swear to God," Busboy said with disgust, "if another cop comes up here and tries to play hostage negotiator with me…."

"But that's just it," the woman said, as she came closer. "I'm not a cop. I might still be able to help you guys."

Olivia was startled when she realized she knew who this was. Lois Lane came walking over with a reluctant Jimmy Olsen tagging along. When Lois introduced herself, one of the waiters turned to the Busboy and said, "Hey, a reporter! Just what we need!"

"If you're waiting for Superman to come to your rescue, don't hold your breath," Busboy smugly told Lois. "He's not coming. Our friends saw to that."

However, if Lois was worried by that statement, she didn't show it. "I just wanted to say that the Daily Planet would be more than happy to spread the word from your organization." Her eyes grew wide with surprise when she glanced down and saw Olivia. "Why don't _you_ show the world just how magnanimous you can be, and release some of your hostages as a show of good faith? Like these women right here? I'd be happy to-"

"Why don't _you_ sit down and shut up?" Busboy said. "We'll call you once we need you. We have a grand announcement to make that you can broadcast to your heart's content."

"Just listen to me, please." Lois pointed at Olivia. "This is Inspector Olivia Benson, who's a fine police officer in her own right. But she's also known as Batman's Buddy. Now, you may have stopped Superman, but trust me, Batman will certainly be here. He'll be coming for her. Just let Inspector Benson and the other women here go, and you'll still be calling the shots without having to deal with the Batman, ok?"

"You think we're afraid of a guy who dresses up as a bat?" Busboy said, as he and his men broke up into laughter. "Ms. Lane, you forget, we're Intergang, we've taken on Superman!"

"And got beat by him," Jimmy muttered under his breath.

Lois shot Jimmy a murderous, 'shut the hell up' look over her shoulder. "I was in Gotham City, back when they hosted the last police convention," Lois told Busboy. "And I also thought Batman was nothing more than a crazed lunatic in a bat outfit, too. But then I saw him in action. I have to say that seeing Batman in person was one of the most scariest things I've ever seen in my life, and believe me, I've seen some scary stuff."

Lois gazed fearfully at Busboy as she solemnly shook her head. "You'd actually do better to try and deal with Superman. Because, trust me, you do _not_ want to meet the Dark Knight."

Busboy and his men stood in anxious silence for a moment, until one of his men said, "Uh, we may have a problem."

"What?" Busboy said, and Olivia could almost swear that she heard fear in his voice.

"It's Gary," the man replied, as he pressed his hand to his ear. "He's not responding to any calls. Wait, neither is Sully…yeah, we just lost both Gary and Sully, now."

"Where were they on patrol?" Busboy asked.

"The roof."

"Then take several of the boys and get up there and check it out!"

The man just nodded grimly. "Yeah. We got this. Don't worry, it's probably nothing."

**B&B**

"WHO ARE YOU WORKING FOR?" the Dark Knight snarled. 'WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?"

The Intergang thug, whom he held out over a forty storey drop off the ledge of the Shuster Convention Center, didn't waste any time. "M-M-Mag-Magneto!" he cried, terrified. "Pull me back in, please!"

Although what he said tracked with Batman's suspicions, he had to make sure. "You expect me to believe Magneto would recruit a bunch of non-mutants like _you_ into the Brotherhood?"

'W-We've joined f-forces with them!" the man replied. His legs flailed helplessly. "I-Intergang and the B-Brotherhood are now in league, w-working together! M-Mageto's gonna show up here and make the announcement a-about our alliance himself before the media, I-I swear to God, it's true!"

Batman carefully checked the man for all the lie indicators, and saw that he was telling the truth. Even if the very notion of Magneto working hand in hand with a human gang didn't make sense, this man firmly believed in what he was saying.

Batman brought the man back over from the ledge and flung him down on the roof. "If you're smart," the Dark Knight warned him, "you'll stay down."

In response, there was the sound of a sudden build up of power as the man, who still lay on the roof, abruptly raised his hand, the repulsor emitter in his palm glowing once more.

But Batman, who had been expecting this, was faster. He delivered a kick straight to the man's face that knocked him right out. Then, after having pulled out a Batdart, Batman used it to slice the power cords that fed the man's palm repulsors, effectively disarming him.

Batman stood over the unconscious man, absently putting his Batdart back into its proper place on his belt, and realized that, with two of Magneto's powerhouse thugs presently keeping the man of steel diverted from here, perhaps this fellow was right to believe that Intergang and the Brotherhood were really working together.

'But what's Magneto's end game?' Batman wondered. 'Was it truly to take the police officers at this convention hostage, just so he could sweep in and make a grand announcement? With the powers of the Brotherhood at his disposal, what would Magneto even _need_ Intergang for? It just doesn't make sense….'

"You have company," Alfred's voice said in his ear. "Five more members of Intergang are now on the roof with you. They came up on the center roof stairwell, directly behind the air conditioning unit to your left."

"Got it," Batman said, as he easily climbed up the side of the air conditioning unit. When he emerged on the top of the unit, he glanced down at the five men, who were also dressed like waiters, as they warily scanned the area. "Gary?" one of them called. "Sully? Hey, where are you guys?"

'You're about to find out,' Batman thought, as he dove off the air conditioning unit. He made sure to sweep his cape out wide, so that he looked bigger, and even more threatening, as he descended upon the men.

The effect worked beautifully. The man who called his unconscious comrades glanced directly up at Batman, and just before the Dark Knight collided with him, knocking him to the ground, the man had let out a terrified scream.

That scream startled the other four men off balance long enough for Batman to knock out the man whom he'd tackled. Then he stood up in-between the remaining four men and slugged another one of them into unconsciousness before he could even react.

"HOLY JESUS CHRIST!" one of the three remaining men screamed in terror at the large black creature in their midst. He raised his repulsor emitters right at Batman…

…who ducked, just as the energy rays shot over his head…

…and hit one of the shooter's comrades right in the face. The man instantly sunk to the floor.

"OH, GOD, LARRY!" the man who fired had cried in horror…

…just as Batman pressed his hand to the floor and swung his leg out. As he swung around once, Batman's leg knocked down the remaining two men. When they were on the ground, dazed, Batman quickly stood up and kicked each man into unconsciousness.

"Robin, do you still have a view of the hostages?" Batman asked, as he sliced the power cords on the repulsor weapons of each of the knocked-out men.

"Yeah," his voice tersely replied. "Intergang has Liv, Alex and two other women kneeling in the middle of the floor. Their hands are tied and they're gagged."

"Hands tied front or back?" Batman asked, trying to get as accurate a tactical picture of the hostage situation as he can.

"In front," Alfred replied. "There are at least twenty more Intergang members in the hall, with most of them, fifteen, are along the walls, busy watching the crowd. Five are at the head of the hall, near the podium with Olivia, Alex and those two other poor girls. One of them appears to be the leader."

"You make a move on them, they'll just open fire on the crowds," Robin warned him. "Or on Liv and Alex."

Yet what Robin said actually gave Batman an idea. "Either of you spot anymore Intergang members outside of the hall?" Batman asked.

"Yes," Alfred said. "Four more members are in the hallway directly outside the hall."

"Then that's where I'm headed. Keep an eye out for-"

"HOLD IT RIGHT THERE, BATMAN!" a male voice commanded from the night sky. Batman suddenly found himself under the glare of a spotlight.

A Metropolis Police helicopter hovered over the roof of the convention center. A man with salt and pepper hair hung out the passenger side with a bullhorn to his mouth. "Inspector Dan Turpin, MPD!" he angrily said. "And this isn't Gotham City, fella! You're neither wanted, nor welcome here!"

"Then if you'll excuse me," Batman coolly said, just before he dove off the roof.

"Don't lose him!" Turpin shouted at the pilot, which, thanks to his bullhorn, was broadcast all over the street. "Damn it, we have night vision in this bird! Why isn't he showing up on it? What do you mean, he has no heat signature at all? He's human, isn't he? Well, isn't he?"

Once Batman was over the ledge, he flicked his wrists, which sent the command for his cape to solidify into wings. He glided down to the massive advertising billboard on the side of the convention center, changed his wings back into a cape again, and gained access to the inside through a maintenance doorway located at the end of a walkway at the bottom of the billboard.

"Where is he?" Turpin kept harping over his bullhorn. "He couldn't just disappear into thin air! What is this guy, a damned chameleon?"

When he heard that last word, it stopped Batman in his tracks. "A chameleon?" he quietly said. "Of course, why didn't I realize it before?"

"What is it?" Robin frantically asked.

"I realize now what Magneto is after here in Metropolis," Batman said, as he strode down the utility hallway, "and it has nothing to do with Intergang. He's just using them as a diversion to get what he wants here."

"And that would be?" Alfred prodded.

"Mystique," Batman replied. "Magneto was after Mystique all along."

**B&B**

It was a simple matter for Erik Lehnsherr, better known to most as Magneto, to gain access to the OHMR jail facility. After all, the place was built entirely out of metal. Lehnsherr simply strode in the front door in his full Magento regalia. It was worth it just to see the looks on the faces of the guards in the front office, who were so busy gawking at him that they never even saw Pyro, who had killed them all with a single blast of flame.

"Thank you, my dear boy," Magneto sincerely said.

"Anytime," Pyro easily replied. He then switched on his small flame thrower backpack once more as he aimed his hand at an approaching horde of guards. Pyro could control fire with his mind, but he could not create it. "Shall I deal with these guys, as well, sir?"

"No, I've got this bunch," Magneto casually said, as he waved his hand at the approaching guards.

The metal bars the guards stood unwarily beside came to life at Magneto's command and attacked them like a strange silver centipede. The guards dropped their weapons as they were being squeezed to death by the metal bars, which tightly wrapped themselves around their bodies.

"I'm just here to visit a friend," Magneto airily told one of the guards, who was helplessly encased in the metal bars, "hope you don't mind."

"Urk!" the guard said. He spat out a mouthful of blood as the metal bars continued to squeeze the life out of him.

"Yes, I didn't think you would," Magneto muttered, as he and Pyro continued down the hall, looking for the right jail cell.

The lights in the entire facility went off just then. The emergency lights lit up balefully as Toad's voice came over their comms: "As you can see, I've cut the power."

"Yes, excellent work, Toad. Keep the chopper warmed up and running, will you? We shan't be too long."

"You got it, Magneto."

"What the hell is this?" Pyro warily asked, as they watched a huge stone fist slam through the jail cell door ahead of them.

When a large, bulky monstrosity emerged from the cell, it stopped long enough to glare at them before it continued stomping down the hall. To Magneto, it looked somewhat like the Thing from the Fantastic Four, but more unformed, less refined, in its shape.

"Excuse me, sir," he called to the creature. "My name is Magneto, and I'm-"

"Yeah, I know who you are," the creature said, with a glance over his shoulder. "Mystique never stops talking about you!"

"Then am I wrong to assume that you are not interested in joining the Brotherhood Of Mutants?" Magneto asked. "We could use someone with your skills."

"No, not interested," he replied. The large, clay-like creature stopped and turned to look at them for a moment. "I'm very busy; I got to go kill some people in Gotham City right now."

"Perfectly understandable," Magneto replied with a nod. "Good hunting. And know that our door is always open to you, my brother."

The creature grunted once, which Magento took for laughter. Then it formed its hand into a giant sledgehammer-shaped fist and said, "I don't need doors…."

With that, the creature slammed its fist into the wall at the end of the hall, creating an instant escape route out of the facility. Magneto continued to watch, fascinated, as the creature suddenly morphed into a regular-looking man in a guard's outfit once he went outside. "Amazing…."

"I see you met Clayface," Mystique said, still locked behind the reinforced clear plastic of her cell door.

"Is that what they call him?" Magneto asked, as Pyro melted the cell door away so Mystique could be free.

"His human name's Matt Hagen. The Batman took him down," she said, stepping into the hallway.

Magneto smiled as he stared at the gaping hole that Clayface had made in the wall. "Oh, I really wouldn't want to be Batman right now..."

"I heard Wolverine saw right through your little act," Pyro said. "What happened, Mystique? What did you miss?"

"His stupid girlfriend has an aversion to seafood, which I had no idea about," Mystique replied, with an annoyed shake of her head. "I got tripped up on one little detail! I apologize for letting you down, Erik. I am so sorry."

"We're back together once more, that's all that matters," Magneto told her with genuine feeling. She was his oldest and most loyal ally. "Come! Now that you are safely back with us, let us continue to fight the good fight!"

They boarded the chopper that Toad had landed by the front gate. When several Metropolis police cars pulled up, their lights and sirens blaring, Magneto flipped them all over with a wave of his hands. Their sirens warbled weakly as they now rocked back and forth upside-down, the police inside them helplessly trapped.

"Mystique," Toad said in greeting, as she took the co-pilot's seat beside him in the chopper's cockpit, "long time no see. So how was the OHMR prison food?"

"Fit for slaves," she muttered derisively.

"Let's stop off and pick up Arclight and Juggernaunt," Magneto commanded Toad. "Once we have them, then head back for base. The sooner we get out of this city, the better. It's so damned cheery here, it's sickening."

Pyro looked confused. "But sir, what about Intergang? They're still holding their position at the convention center."

Magneto just smiled at him. "My dear Pyro, I would think you'd know by now to never concern yourself with the fate of mere pawns."

**B&B**

Although Barbra had went to her room under the pretense of having gone to bed (just as she had promised her mother), she actually stayed up and switched on her Mac laptop. The hostage situation in Metropolis was all over the news, and Barbra had just heard that Batman was on the scene when her mother had finally ordered her to go to bed.

She streamed live reports from news sites, using her headphones to hide the sound from her mother, who had very good ears. The battle between Superman and a pair of super powered people was the big news event, if only because it took place outside, where news crews could get great shots. Yet they cut into this battle to announce that Metropolis Police had spotted the Batman and were giving chase.

Barbra anxiously watched the report of how a police chopper had seen Batman on the roof of the Shuster Convention Center. "They lost track of the Batman for now," the reporter, a little punk with the unsual name of Snapper Carr, had said, "but it looks like it won't be long now before Metropolis' Finest will have Batman in a cage right where he belongs!"

"In your dreams, moron," Barbra muttered. She knew for a fact that, if one had lost the Batman, then he was gone for good. Barbra just wished that she was there, helping him. She heard about how Dick was sidelined by his injury and knew the Batman would be working alone.

'But, oh, no...I can't help out because it's a freaking school night!' Barbra thought angrily. She hated school with a passion. Forced to put up with the daily doldrums of listening to her teachers prattle on, while knowing full well the amazing things she had seen and done, it was all Barbra could do to keep from standing up in class and shouting, "I'm Batgirl! Yeah, that's right bitches, I go out on patrol with the Dark Knight himself!"

Barbra lay on her stomach on bed in front of the laptop, blissfully enjoying her little fantasy of the amazed looks on the faces of her friends, after they had found out who she really was; not to mention how news that she was Batgirl would so totally ruin the day of those haughty broads on the cheerleading squad. 'Oooo, those twits think they are so cool, they probably figure the sun shines right out of their-'

Barbra's musings were interrupted when she saw a new headline link pop up on the news site. Her eyes flared with shock when she saw it was a news item for right here in Gotham City. "Batman on the rampage again?" it asked.

Barbra shut off the sound to the live video and clicked the link. There were more recent reports, filed just minutes ago, of attacks by Batman on citizens in Gotham City. Apparently the people who had just claimed to have been attacked by the Batman didn't get the news that he was now in Metropolis, and thus couldn't have been the one who attacked them.

The online piece was vague regarding exactly where in Gotham City these latest attacks took place, so Barbra went over to the police scanner and turned it on low as she pressed her ear to the speaker. There it was, the last sighting of the creature was on Loeb and Millar. It was just a block north of here.

'Damn it,' she thought. 'This strange bat creature was back, and yet Batman was off trying to help Olivia and Alex in Metropolis…and even Robin can't go check it out.'

Then she glanced at her closet with a knowing smile. 'But Batgirl will be happy to!'

Barbra took out the Batgirl outfit from its place on the very end of of her clothes hanger. Since Alfred was kind enough to create a new, second generation combat suit for her, he allowed Barbra to keep the old Batgirl outfit at home. She never bothered to hide it from her parents. On the contrary, Barbra made a point of showing them the Batgirl outfit, and telling them that it would be her costume for Halloween.

While she hated lying to her parents (she had no intention of even going trick or treating this year, much less wearing her old Batgirl outfit out), she was at least spared the difficulty of trying to hide her old outfit from her always-nosey mother.

It felt good to put the old outfit back on, even though it wasn't as up to date as her new one was, with Kevlar padding and night vision goggles in the cowl. While it may not have the fancy gadgets of the new suit, which was in the Batcave, the old outfit still had its utility belt, armed with some neat tricks, should she need them.

Barbra glanced at herself in the full-length mirror and smiled. Now she felt ready for a rematch with that big flying bully!

After adjusting the blankets and pillows in her bed, to make it look like she was peacefully tucked in and sleeping, Batgirl turned out the light in her room and slipped out the window.

'If only I could keep the Batmobile in my closet,' she thought, as she ran the one block distance to the location of the last sighting of the bat creature. 'Hell, I'd settle for having a Batcycle! Maybe I should talk Dick into helping me customize one of Bruce's motorcycles….'

When she arrived at the corner of Loeb and Millar, Batgirl quickly ducked into an alley once she saw a police car slowly cruising up the street.

'The daughter of the police commisioner, hiding from her father's own cops,' Batgirl thought with a smile, as she watched the car slowly creep by. 'Now that's rich….'

Another police car came down the street in the opposite direction, and it occurred to Batgirl that the streets were thick with cops. She would do better to move up to the rooftops.

She pulled out the grapple gun from her belt and aimed it at the roof. She fired, and it soundlessly grabbed a hold of the ledge above her. Yet just when she was about to have the grapple gun pull her up, a window slid open and a woman the same age as her mother stared at her in puzzlement.

"Halloween is not for another two weeks, dearie," the woman told her. "You should be at home, in bed, right now."

"Yeah, I'll get right to it, ma'am, thanks," Batgirl said, just as she pulled the trigger on the grapple gun.

The shocked look on the woman's face, as she watched as Batgirl seemingly flew up past her window, was priceless. Even if nothing came from this little investigation, it was all well worth it for Batgirl just for that little moment.

Once she arrived on the roof of the huge apartment building, Batgirl retracted her grapple gun and placed it back on her belt. She felt better being up here, for it offered a great view of the area. If that creature was still around here, she should be able to-

"WHOA!" Batgirl said, just as she dived to the deck.

The bat creature had swung down in a predator dive, its talons grasping at empty air right where she had stood barely a second ago. It flung its massive wings out, stopping its forward motion, and swung around so that it hovered over Batgirl in a threatening manner. It let out a furious shriek, then dove at her once more.

Batgirl kicked it in the stomach with her boot. The blow caused the creature to let out another shriek, but this time in pain. It backed off, flying away from her.

"Oh no, you don't," Batgirl said. She got to her feet and pulled out her grapple gun. Firing it at the creature. Batgirl slightly wobbled the gun, just as Batman had taught her, and she was pleased to see the grapple form a lasso on one of the creature's legs.

"Got you!" Batgirl said triumphantly, as she pulled back on the grapple line. Now she figured it was just a matter of pulling this bad boy down to earth.

But the bat creature was far stronger than she had figured, and as it kept flying away from Batgirl, the line grew taut and it soon yanked her right off the ledge of the building.

Batgirl glanced down wide-eyed at the illuminated streets of Gotham City as they passed by her dangling feet. She was so high up the people and cars looked like toys. Helplessly hanging beneath the bat creature, which relentlessly flew on into the night skies, all Batgirl could say was, "Oh Gawd!"

**To Be Continued...**


	5. Chapter 5

_My thanks to stargaze29 for her kind comments. I'd also like to thank those of you who favored this story._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Five**

'Oh jeez….' Batgirl thought, as she dangled helplessly underneath the bat creature that flew high over the skyline of Gotham City. The grapple gun and cable were both strong and sturdy; there was no chance of it breaking on her. But the problem was that Batgirl's hands and arms were getting very tired.

'Way too high to try and jump,' Batgirl thought, as she anxiously glanced down at the streets below her, which were so far down they looked like miniature scenes with toy car traffic.

She glared up at the creature, which continued to fly as if nothing was wrong, and shouted, "WHAT THE HELL ARE _YOU_ SUPPOSED TO BE, HUH?"

But the monster, who looked like a cross between a human and a bat, did not reply. Batgirl wasn't sure if it could talk even if it wanted to. The only sounds it made were loud screeching.

When she saw they were just about to fly low over the roof of a skyscraper, Batgirl got an idea. Reaching into her utility belt, she pulled out a pocket flare and triggered the end with her teeth.

Just as the bat creature swooped over the roof of the building, Batgirl fired the flare straight into its belly. The explosive reaction, from both the flare and the creature, was just what Batgirl had hoped for. The monster, reacting in pain from the flare that blew up against its stomach, instinctively came in for a landing on the roof.

Once she was low enough, Batgirl released her grip and landed on the roof in a deft rolling maneuver. She jumped up onto her feet, pulling her baton out from its holster and giving it flick. This motion extended the metal telescoping baton to its full length.

It was a good thing she did this, for the creature had bounced back from the flare a lot quicker than Batgirl had expected. Landing on the roof in front of Batgirl, the monster folded in its wings and charged at her, letting out a screech of anger. Its inhuman face was contorted into a mask of rage as it bared its lethal fangs at her.

Batgirl whacked it directly in the face with the baton, but the monster shook it off and just kept on coming. She then poked it right in one of its large black eyes with the end of the baton.

The creature let out another screech of pain as it halted its advance, giving Batgirl the respite she needed to put as much space as she could between herself and this monster. It was far more fierce and strong than she had expected. The thing was also unrelenting; no sooner did she managed to back away than it was charging at her once more.

Batgirl needed to think, she just needed to take a moment to figure out what her next move would be. The only thing she could think of doing right now, the only thing that made sense, was to beat a hasty retreat. But Batgirl only had one grapple gun, and that was still tied around the creature's foot.

She let out a scared yelp as the monster leap at her, its unnatural fangs biting at empty air where her head used to be. It bit at her again, backing Batgirl up against the skylight. The creature viciously bit at her a third time, and Batgirl stopped it only by holding up her baton at the last moment.

The creature bit down into the baton and flung it away with a quick swing of its massive head. It screeched triumphantly at Batgirl.

Then it moved in for the kill…

…just as Batgirl flung up her leg for a last, desperate kick.

Before she could even deliver her kick, the creature effortlessly swatted her roughly to the ground with one claw. Batgirl landed with a grunt, then looked up in helpless horror as the creature loomed over her. Batgirl could only stare up in terror and amazement as this monster, this seemingly impossible creature of the night, opened its powerful jaws so that it could deliver her the fatal blow.

But the monster abruptly ceased its attack as it flinched in agonizing pain. Letting out a wounded screech, it meekly moved away from Batgirl, and in that instant, she saw bloodied claw marks on its back. When the creature moved away from her, Batgirl glanced up to see an astonishing, and most welcome, sight.

Catwoman stood there. She glared at the creature with a broad grin on her face.

"You really want to play?" Catwoman asked, her claws gleaming in the dim light. "Then why don't you come play with kitty?"

**B&B**

'Well, now I've done it,' Catwoman thought, as the enraged creature screeched at her. 'Now I've gone and pissed him off.'

"Hiya Bat-Mite," she said, as she casually ducked a sideswipe from the creature. "Out on a date?"

"Bat-Mite?" Holly asked in her ear. "Who are you talking to?"

"Not now, Holly," Catwoman tightly replied, as she kicked the creature right in the stomach. The force of her blow sent it back, but only for a moment. "I'm giving Bat-Mite a few pointers on how to handle a date who will not take no for an answer."

When the creature charged at her again, Catwoman tried to scratch it with her claws once more, but it was ready for her and easily ducked her swing. The monster rammed its head into her side, knocking Catwoman into the skylight. But considering the force of the beast's blow, she was lucky she didn't go _through _the skylight.

When Catwoman was momentarily down, the creature loomed over her with its own claws out-yet before it could attack, Batgirl came at it with a flying kick that sent the monster reeling.

"Did you get the diamonds?" Holly frantically asked in her ear. "Just tell me you already got the diamonds, please!"

"I said not _now_, Holly," Catwoman snarled, before she quickly switched off the two-way comm unit in her ear.

The monster, letting out a screech, charged at the both of them again.

"It's not…stopping," Batgirl said, struggling to catch her breath. "It's….unrelenting."

"That's what they say about me," Catwoman said in a fit of bravado. But she saw what Batgirl meant. The creature appeared to be far more energetic and furious than when she last tangled with it. Catwoman pulled the whip from around her waist and said, "This stopped it before, let's see if it'll work again."

When the creature approached within range, Catwoman cracked her whip, expertly landing the tip right on the creature's nose. The creature let out a startled yelp and then abruptly dove off the ledge of the building.

Catwoman and Batgirl both stood and watched as the bat creature suddenly swooped up over them, its wings completely unfurled, as it vanished in the night.

Batgirl glanced up at Catwoman with an annoyed look, which made Catwoman smile. She knew the young woman was no doubt ticked off at having her bacon saved by a stinking criminal.

But to Catwoman's surprise, Batgirl bashfully said, "Thank you."

"You're most welcome Bat-M…um, I mean…Batgirl," Catwoman replied. She glanced across the street at the museum, and was pleased to see that all looked very quiet. As soon as the little punk took her leave, Catwoman could finally get the damned diamonds.

Then Catwoman's mouth dropped open in shock when alarms started ringing all over the museum. A convertible pulled out of the parking lot, burning serious rubber. Poison Ivy was in the driver's seat, while Harley Quinn sat up in the back seat, waving merrily at the guards who tried to give chase on foot.

"Ta ta, kiddies!" Quinn shouted at the guards, as the car drove past them on the street below. "Thanks for the diamonds!"

"You have _got_ to be kidding me," Catwoman said in disbelief.

"I know, right?" Batgirl said, completely missing the point. "Who knew they'd start knocking off places so soon after the breakout? Excuse me, I have to track them as far as I can. Um, try and behave yourself, ok?"

"I might as well behave," Catwoman muttered. "Since there's no longer anything for me to steal, anyway…."

She glanced over to see Batgirl had already jumped onto the roof of the adjacent building. 'She may not have Batman's style, but she's still a tenacious little bugger,' Catwoman thought with admiration. 'You got to give her that.'

Then Catwoman slapped her hands over her face when a really depressing thought occurred to her. "Oh, crud…Holly is just gonna _kill _me!"

**B&B**

"Where are you guys?" Busboy shouted into his comm unit. "What the hell is going on out there?"

"THERE'S SOMETHING OUT HERE!" one of his men hysterically replied. He was so loud that Olivia could easily hear him. "I-It's not human…it's not human, I tell you…and, oh God, I think it's after me! It got the others, and I think it's coming for-"

"Vinnie?" Busboy nervously said, when the man was cut off. "Vinnie, come in! Vinnie?"

Despite the fact that she now knelt with her wrists bound together in front of her and was gagged, Olivia could not help bit chuckle softly. It was clear that Batman was here, and working his incredible magic of psychological warfare mixed with brute assault on this crew. It was now just a matter of time.

Busboy had kept sending more and more of his men outside the hall to see what had happened to the others who had gone silent…only to have the men he'd sent out to investigate disappear on him, as well. There were now only five of the hostage takers left, and they had all crowded around Olivia, Alex, Jane and Maura at the head of the hall, right before the podium.

"You!" Busboy said, as he grabbed Olivia by the neck. "You think this is funny, huh? You won't think it's very funny when I melt your damn skull!"

Alex let out a startled cry that was muffled by her gag. But Olivia just continued to stare coolly up at Busboy, who was now sweating profusely. Then, Olivia glanced up and momentarily saw a dark shape flit over her head in the shadows of the ceiling directly above the podium stage area. 'He's here,' Olivia realized, as she instinctively balled her bound hands into fists. 'Any second, now….'

An exasperated Lois Lane stood up from her seat just then. "Look, it's getting pretty obvious that Batman is here, and he's coming for you. He's taking out your men one by one, leaving you with just a fraction of your crew. Can't you see that it's over? Why not just-"

She stopped when Busboy held out his glowing hand in her direction. "Just keep talking, Ms. Lane. Go ahead, try and lecture me…."

"You could surrender," Commissioner Henderson calmly said from the podium. "Give yourselves up, now, and we'll take you into custody. I guarantee that you'll be safe from the Batman."

One of the other hostage takers dismally shook his head. "The hell with surrendering. We need to get out of here." He pointed at Olivia and the other bound women. "We can use them as shields."

Busboy glared at him. "Are you insane? Magneto-"

"He isn't coming," the man angrily said, cutting him off. "He and the others should have been here by now. We were left hung out to dry."

"Shut up," Busboy said, looking nervous. His attention was briefly diverted from Olivia, and she used the moment to glance back up at the ceiling.

Batman had dove from the ceiling and began his rapid decent downward, his cape spread out wide like the wings of a dark predator. Once Olivia saw this, she shoved Busboy away from her.

Olivia pulled her gag down from her mouth and grabbed Alex's hands. She then turned to Jane and said, "Get down!"

Jane protectively tackled a wide-eyed and confused-looking Maura to the floor just as Olivia did the same to Alex. As she covered Alex with her body, Olivia heard one of the hostage takers say, "Hey, what the f-"

And then the screaming started.

She glanced up to see the magnificent sight of the Dark Knight battling five men all at once. It was both thrilling and terrifying to see. Batman punched one man in the face while he slammed his foot against the stomach of another; then he grabbed the first man he had punched and threw his flailing body into another man, while he also karate-chopped Busboy on the side of his neck. Busboy went straight down to the floor and stayed there. Before she realized it, the battle was over and not one of the five men had even a chance to fire their weapons.

Batman, who stood in the middle of five prone bodies on the floor, gazed down at Olivia and Alex and asked, "Are you two all right?"

"Now we are," Olivia gratefully said, as she sat up and removed Alex's gag. "Thanks."

"I let you two out of my sight for five minutes," Batman said, with just the slightest shake of his head. "And look what happens…."

Olivia's grin at his little joke instantly faded when she glanced anxiously at the mass audience of stunned police that surrounded them. "Um, you realize you're in a room with hundreds of cops?"

Before he could reply, the hall's doors burst open all at once, and still more police swarmed inside. A dark-haired woman in a Metropolis PD SWAT flak jacket saw Batman and shouted, "Freeze, Batman! Inspector Maggie Sawyer, MPD! We're taking you in for questioning!"

The Dark Knight just casually glanced over his shoulder at Sawyer, and the legion of cops behind her.

Then he said, "You can try…."

"HOLD IT, SAWYER!"

All heads turned to Commissioner Henderson, who had issued the command. "Stand down, Inspector," he ordered. "Right now."

Sawyer looked confused. "But, sir, the Batman is wanted for-"

Henderson held up his hand, stopping her. "You have better things to do at this moment, like taking the hostage takers into custody. Besides, I think we can all-"

He glanced at Batman's direction, then ceased speaking with a frown.

Olivia knew the Dark Knight was already gone before she even bothered to look. She helped Alex to her feet and untied her hands. "You ok?"

Alex just nodded with a wan smile. "You sure know how to show a girl a night on the town…."

"The night's still young, sweetie," Olivia said, as she embraced Alex and gave her a kiss on the lips. "I owe you a good time, and I'm gonna give it to you."

"Oh God, oh God, Oh God," Maura said. She shook so badly that it was all Jane could do to hold her still long enough to get the ropes off of her wrists.

"Come here," Jane told her, as she pulled Maura into a hug, once her hands were free. "It's ok; it's all over."

Olivia went over to them and placed a hand on Jane's shoulder. "You guys all right?"

"Yeah," Jane said, as she and Maura broke from their embrace.

"I-I'm not very good with hostage situations," a still-shaken Maura said.

Olivia smiled warmly at her. "Neither am I. The important thing is that you're ok."

Jane regarded Olivia with a look of awe. "Wow! You think you can get Batman to come visit Boston? I know a couple of thugs who I'd love to see him work over."

"He works mainly in Gotham City," Olivia replied. "He only came here because Alex and I were in trouble."

Jane nodded. "Fine, then you and Alex are invited to Boston, with or without the Batman."

"Where is he?" Maura said, as she stared in shock at the empty space where the Dark Knight had just stood. "He was right here!"

"I know," another police officer, a woman, said, as she strode up to them. "I only looked away for a moment, and he was gone!"

"This is crazy!" a man in the crowd shouted. "There's several hundred people in here, and _nobody_ saw him leave?"

Everyone either shook their heads in the negative or shrugged in response.

Munch and Fin came over and made sure that Olivia and Alex were all right. Olivia introduced them to Jane and Maura. Jane excused herself to answer her cell phone.

"This thing has been vibrating against me the whole damn time, and I couldn't answer it until now," Jane said as she clicked her cell and placed it to her ear. "Hello, ma? Yeah, it's me…and yes, I'm fine. Maura and I are both fine, yes. Uh, we were both taken hostage…yeah, but the Batman came and rescued us."

Jane abruptly rolled her eyes. "I know Batman's in Gotham City, Ma, but he came here. Look, Ma…Ma, I really can't-"

All conversation in the hall was abruptly hushed when a large fireball rose up in the night sky outside of the windows.

Commissioner Henderson looked away from overseeing the arrest of Busboy and his men to stare in shock at the massive explosion. "Good Lord, what now?"

"Whoa," Fin warily said, as he stared at a second explosion that erupted close to the first, "and here I thought Gotham was a crazy party town…."

**B&B**

Kal-El let out a grunt, which was the only effect he showed of the excruciating blow to the stomach that Arclight had just delivered to him. The blow had plowed Kal-El through what had to be the last standing wall in this devastated section of the mall. After she had punched Kal-El, Arclight made a large show of bowing, then she gestured at the dazed Kal-El, letting Juggernaut take over the beatings for her.

Juggernaut bowed back and said, "Why, it would be my pleasure, my lady!"

It took just a split second for them to joke around. And that was all the time that Kal-El needed. He glared at Juggernaut's helmet and switched on his heat vision.

As he heartily approached Kal-El, Juggernaut seemed not to notice that his helmet was heating up at first. "I'm gonna enjoy kicking you all the way back to that slime hole planet you call a home, Superman," he said. "By the by, what's the name of that stinking planet that you…?"

That was when Juggernaut abruptly let out a howl of pain, as he brought his hands up to his helmet, which, thanks to Superman's heat vision, now had a hot, reddish glow that was akin to the metal surface of a broiler left on high.

Arclight started moving towards Kal-El in a threatening manner. "What are you doing to him, you…?"

Kal-El inhaled a lung-full of air as he stood up. He then blew out that air in a super concentrated blast that smashed into Arclight and flung her right off of her feet. She flailed helplessly through the air until she landed hard against a brick wall and slid down into a crumpled heap.

'She may land seismic punches, but she's obviously not invulnerable,' Kal-El thought, as he regarded the knocked out woman with his X-Ray vision. She was still alive and unharmed, but out of this fight.

"And as for you," Kal-El said. He ripped off Juggernaut's helmet, exposing the man's sweaty, burned face as he gazed up at Kal-El in surprise and shock. "The name of my home planet is Krypton!"

The helpless Juggernaut let out a wailing cry…

...just before Superman belted him right in the face.

**B&B**

"Damn it!" Magneto angrily said, as he watched Superman punch Juggernaut straight through a wall from the helicopter above.

They hovered over the battle in their own helicopter, blending in with the armada of police and media choppers that swarmed around the scene like a bunch of overgrown snooping insects.

"Bad news?" Pyro called from his seat.

"Sheer stupidity is more like it," Magneto called back from where he stood in front of the opened hatchway. He shook his head in disgust. The instructions he gave Juggernaut and Arclight were extremely explicit: they were to engage Superman in a brief battle before leading him over to the Shuster Center. Once there, they would alert Superman to the fact that Intergang held the assemblage of police hostage. Juggernaut and Arclight would then meet up with the rest of them back here while Superman was busy rescuing the hostages.

It was a perfect plan…but, of course, as the old saying went: "the best laid plans…." Now Juggernaut and Arclight were in danger of being captured themselves. Magneto absently touched a small object that was tucked away under his tunic. 'Luckily, I always have a fallback plan….'

"Remain up here," Magneto called to Toad. "Be ready to retrieve Arclight and Juggernaut when you receive the signal from me."

"What _is_ the signal?" Toad called back.

"You'll know it when you see it," Magneto said.

Magneto dove out of the helicopter, and he slowly lowered himself to the ground by exerting his powers against a pair of parked cars beneath him. Once he was on the ground, Magneto calmly and casually strode up to Superman, who turned and stared at him warily.

"Good evening Superman," Magneto said brightly. "I can't tell you how happy I am that you've passed the test."

"What test?"

"The test for membership in the Brotherhood Of Mutants, of course," Magneto said. "You've passed with flying colors!"

Superman just stared at him for a moment, stunned. "You want _me_ as a member of your terrorist group? Are you insane?"

"Not at all. In fact, here's your prize!" Magneto held out the small object that was tucked within his tunic. Encased in a metal capsule, he used his powers to peel back the metal, exposing the glowing green shard of Kryptonite.

Superman instantly staggered back in pain.

"What better prize for you than a small piece of home sweet home?" Magneto said, as he floated the Kryptonite, which was still partially wrapped in metal, directly over to the weakening Superman. Once the glowing shard was within a foot of him, Superman let out a pained groan as he collapsed on the ground.

"All brawn and no brains," Magneto said, as he glared down at the Man Of Steel with disgust. "These homo sapiens had imprisoned you like an animal, and yet you still choose to be their errand boy. A war is coming, Superman, and you shall be forced to choose sides. I hope for your sake that you choose the right one."

He turned away from Superman, who writhed on the ground in agony, and walked over to where his chopper hovered.

Magneto glanced up to see a Metropolis Police helicopter swoop down low, the pilot barking inane orders at him over the loudspeaker. Magneto reached out with his hand and effortlessly pulled that helicopter out of the sky. It crashed into a flaming heap down the block.

"THAT'S IT, DROP HIM!" a male voice commanded over a loudspeaker.

The SWAT team members in another police chopper opened fire on Magneto with their assault weapons. Magneto halted the bullets in midair, spun them around and sent them right back to their original owners. The screams of the SWAT members could be heard as they were all hit by their own bullets, which also struck their chopper, causing enough damage for it to sail right into the ground.

"Homo sapiens and their guns," Magneto murmured with loathing.

Using the metal of their armored suits, he lifted both Juggernaut and Arclight, who were still unconscious, and raised them towards his own helicopter. Once they were safely aboard, Magneto raised himself back on board the chopper.

"Home, Toad!" he called towards the cockpit. "We have a revolution to plan!"

**B&B**

"Robin, did you have any luck with the JLA?" Batman asked, once he was back in the cockpit of the Prowler.

"They're not available," he replied.

"This is no time for jokes!" Batman snapped at him. "Superman needs back up!"

"Believe me, I wish I _were_ joking," Robin said, sounding annoyed. "But they're all on another planet right now, getting medals."

"What?" Batman said with disbelief.

"That's what that android, the Red Tornado, told me. He said that the JLA was being awarded medals on another planet for helping to repel some kind of an invasion a while back."

"Unbelievable," Batman angrily whispered. 'What was the point of creating this group if its only purpose was to go grandstanding at public functions?' he thought. 'People needed their help right here, right now!'

"Sir," Alfred cut in. "You were right; Magneto did free Mystique from the OHMR prison in Metropolis. The news has reported there had been some sort of an assault on the facility. But there's another wrinkle: it appears the whereabouts of Clayface are also unknown as well."

"Great, just great," Batman muttered darkly, just as a large explosion lit up the night sky several blocks away from him. "This evening just keeps getting better."

As he threw the Prowler into a trajectory leading towards the explosion, a second blast erupted in the same area.

"What was that?" Robin asked. "Was that an explosion?"

"Two of them," Batman reported. "Coming from the shopping mall area."

"That's where Superman was battling Juggernaut and Arclight," Alfred said. "Superman gained the upper hand over them, but now the news is showing he's down on the ground. Another man, a fellow in a cape and a helmet, is just magically pulling choppers out of the sky like they're toys."

"Magneto," Batman said. "He's got Mystique, now he extracting Juggernaut and Arclight. I'm headed over there right now."

"Wait!" Rachel's worried voice abruptly said. "What are you going to do?"

"Save Superman's ass," Batman replied, "again."

"No…oh no!" Rachel cried. "These psychos are super powered! Can't you just come back? You've saved Liv and Alex…."

"I'm not the Justice League," Batman softly replied, "I don't ignore trouble just because I'm busy. If anybody is in need, no matter who it is, I must help them however I can."

"I understand," she said, sounding crestfallen. "Just, please…be careful."

"Always. Don't wait up for me. I may be a little late tonight."

"Oh, no, I'm staying right here," Rachel forcefully replied. "You just try getting rid of me!"

"That's my girl." Batman did a visual sweep of the battleground below. "The exposions were from two helicopters that crashed. I see Superman. He's lying down on the ground, not moving. No sign of Magneto and his Brotherhood thugs. Looks like they're gone. I don't like the way Superman looks. I'm going in for a closer look."

"How's the reception been from the MPD?" Robin asked.

"Very chilly," Batman said. "Been dodging cops all night."

"Sounds like business as usual."

Batman set the Prowler to hover low over a grassy knoll near where Superman lay. He got out and cautiously approached the Man Of Steel. Thanks to the extensive battle damage in the area, no police were on the scene, and they wouldn't be for a while.

Once he stood over the unconscious Superman, Batman saw what the problem was. He picked up the shard of Kryptonite and placed it within one of the compartments on his utility belt. Ironically enough, he stored it inside the very same lead-lined compartment that he normally used to keep a shard of Krytonite handy, just in case he ever had to square off against Superman. Thankfully, there hasn't been a need for a confrontation like that. So far.

Superman's eyelids fluttered, then his eyes opened as he focused on Batman with a confused look.

"That's a hell of an Achilles Heel you have," Batman commented.

"Magneto?" Superman asked, as he got to his feet.

"Gone, as are Arclight and Juggernaunt," Batman replied. "He freed Mystique from the OHMR prison. He also had remnants of Intergang take hostages at the police convention. It was all a diversionary tactic to keep you and the Metropolis authorities' attention focused away from his jail break of Mystique."

"And here I always thought Luthor was the top criminal mastermind," Superman said, as he made a quick scan of the area.

"You should try dealing with the Joker sometime."

"There's a fire out of control over there," Superman said. "They could use some help. Where's the rest of the League?"

"Not here. I had Robin call them for backup, only to find out that they were too busy receiving medals on another damn planet," Batman angrily growled.

Superman just wearily shook his head. "This hasn't been a very good night for everybody, has it?"

"Any night you get to go home in one piece is a good night for me," Batman replied. He then held up his wrist to his face and commanded, "Come here."

In response, the Prowler came hovering silently over to them, until it stopped in front of Batman. He was about to get into the cockpit when Superman called his name.

"Thanks," Superman called over his shoulder as he flew off. "At least it now looks like things will finally quiet down around here."

"I wouldn't count on it," Batman muttered, as he got into the Prowler and closed the canopy. "In my experience, the craziness just gets worse…."

**B&B**

Chloe had been tensely watching the battle between Clark and the two Brotherhood Of Mutant members on the TV with Lana for the better part of the night. It was nerve-wracking, and painful, to see them punish poor Clark in such a vicious way. But once Clark finally got the upper hand over them, just as Chloe knew he would, she and Lana both jumped up from their seats on the sofa and cheered wildly.

"Oh, wow!" Chloe said with a sigh of relief. "This is more way extreme than the super bowl!"

But she did a double take when she saw Lana had frozen in place and now stared in wide-eyed fear at something over Chloe's shoulder.

When she glanced over her shoulder, Chloe's own eyes then became wide once she saw the dark figure that stood in the doorway. The figure held what looked like a nasty looking taser in its hand.

"Neither of you make any sudden moves," the black-clad figure said, as it slowly entered the room. The voice was female, and she was covered from head to toe in a black-colored outfit that made her look like a high-tech ninja, complete with her night vision goggles.

The goggles gave Chloe an idea. The room they were in was dark, with just the TV serving as the only illumination. If she shocked the intruder with a bright flash of light, that should blind her night vision goggles long enough to give her and Lana a chance to escape.

Chloe grabbed the lamp, switched it on and pointed the bare bulb straight at the intruder…

…who just stood there, staring calmly at Chloe. "What the hell are you doing?" the intruder demanded.

Even Lana was giving her a weird look, and Chloe abruptly felt very silly. "Um, it was dark in here," she uneasily muttered, "and I just figured I'd...you know, turn on a light…."

"If you were hoping to blind my night vision, I turned it off," the intruder said. "Turn around, now."

"Wait, she didn't mean anything," Lana quickly said.

"Shut up!" the intruder barked. She handed Lana a roll of black tape from her waist pouch. "Use this to bind her wrists together, behind her back."

"We'll do whatever you say," Lana said, as she wrapped the tape around Chloe's wrists. "Just please don't…."

"Have her sit on the sofa and tie her feet," the intruder instructed. Once Lana did this, she said, "Now stand up, with your back facing me."

The intruder took the tape from Lana and used it to bind her wrists behind her back. Then she shoved Lana onto the sofa next to Chloe.

"How much is Luthor paying you?" Lana asked, as the intruder bent down and bound her bare feet together. "Whatever it is, I'll double it. Hell, I'll triple it, if you'll just untie us and leave right now."

"I'm not working for Lex Luthor," the woman said. She stood up and pulled off the goggles and the ninja-style hood. She turned out to be a very pretty red head who looked to be their age. "In fact, it was your campaign against Luthor that made me look you two up. I'm sorry to do this, but I'm desperate, and I don't have the time the go through the normal channels. I'm fighting a crusade of my own against some equally powerful bastards in Gotham City, and I was wondering if you could help me."

"Help you?" Chloe gestured down at her bound body with a nod of her head. "You sure have a funny way of asking people for help!"

"You just tried to attack me," she said with a shrug.

"Only after you broke in and threatened us with a gun!" Chloe shot back.

"Easy, Chloe," Lana said, with a wary glance at the red head. "Look, this situation is understandably a little tense for all of us. Why don't we all just calm down and talk about it?"

"I've been hunted for so long now, that I've got to be very careful with whom I'm dealing with," the woman told them. "I've gone to family and friends for help in the past, only to discover it was nothing but a trap set by the rat bastards from the OHMR. I was nearly killed by them at my parents house! So I had to make sure that you two were truly on the level."

"You're being hunted by the OHMR?" Lana asked. "What's your power?"

"I don't have one. My name is Francine Langstrom," the woman replied. "I used to be the co-administrator of the STAR labs in Gotham City, before I became hunted by the very people who I used to work with. Have you heard of the bat creature that's been stalking Gotham City?"

"Yes," Chloe said. "It's all over the news. Some people think it's Batman."

"It's not Batman," Francine said. "That monster is my husband, Kirk. I need your help to find him and save him."

**To Be Continued...**


	6. Chapter 6

_My thanks to Aaron W, stargaze29 and Lennex MacDuff for their kind words. I'd also like to thank those of you who have favored this story._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Six**

Olivia had been taken into custody by Inspector Dan Turpin of the MPD. Of course, Turpin was too sly an old dog to actually come right out and say that Olivia had been placed under arrest. Officially, this was just a simple questioning of a crime victim. But the hostile manner in which Turpin spoke left no room for doubt in Olivia's mind that the crusty cop, who acted like he just stepped out of a 1940s film noir, would like nothing more than to just slap the cuffs on her.

But Olivia had worked over suspects in the interrogation room long enough to know when these same tactics were being applied to her. She merely kicked off her high heels and grinned her way through most of the interview, which consisted mainly of angry questions from Turpin regarding the Batman. It was clear to Olivia that Turpin had a run in earlier with the Dark Knight, and it was an encounter that still left the bulldog inspector in an extremely foul mood.

Olivia couldn't wait to get Bruce's side of the story when she got home.

"This Batman character," Turpin said, leaning over the table at which Olivia sat, "I know you probably think he's the bee's knees, but he's really a very dangerous man, Miss Benson."

'The bee's knees?' Olivia thought in wonderment. 'Did this guy just step out of a retro time machine, or what?' She shook her head. "If you say so. And, by the way, it's Inspector Benson."

Turpin just gazed at her with his steely eyes. "You have a lot of nerve, insisting on me using your rank, when we both know you're not really much of a cop. After all, everybody knows that Gotham City cops are a bunch of lazy louts who're content to let Batman do all the work for them."

'Oh, jeez,' Olivia thought, as she fought the urge to giggle. 'Now he's trying to get a rise out of me. Keeping her voice calm and steady, she replied, "No you're wrong."

"Am I?"

"Yeah, it's Metropolis cops who are the lazy louts who're content to let Superman do all the work for them," Olivia said cheerfully. "I mean, seriously, who kicked Darkseid back to his hellhole planet when he tried to turn Metropolis into his own little playground? Hmm? I didn't see you and your squad slapping cuffs on him."

Turpin leaned forward and said, "Batman is a dangerous psychotic who has no respect for the law, and the sooner you see that, _Inspector _Benson, the sooner you will-"

He was cut off when Commissioner Henderson entered the small room with Alex. "Thank you for your time, Inspector Benson," the commissioner graciously told Olivia, "you are free to go."

"But I was…" Turpin started to say, until a dangerous look from Henderson instantly shut him up.

Henderson, who had a face that looked as if it were chiseled from granite, escorted Olivia and Alex into the corridor.

"I apologize for Dan's behavior," Henderson said. "He can be quite tenacious, if the spirit moves him. But he's a good cop, nonetheless."

"No need for an apology, sir, it's been a rough night on all of us," Olivia said diplomatically. "But your department really had it worse…I understand you suffered casualties at the hands of Magneto."

"Yes, we did." Henderson let out a heavy sigh. "Eleven of the MPD's best and brightest lost their lives tonight…and all for what? During a diversion created by Magneto just for a prison break at the OHMR facility? It's a damned waste of good people. But, equally worse will be the fallout from this by the OHMR. Knowing Waller, she'll use this incident to go on the warpath."

That caught Olivia's attention. "You sound like you've dealt with Waller before."

"I've had no choice," Henderson said dourly. "Not since Metropolis was chosen to be the OHMR's home base…all without consulting us, to boot. Despite the platitudes she sprouts for the media, it's been known for quite some time by my department that the OHMR has been gearing up for a massive operation. They've just been waiting for the right moment to spring it. And, thanks to Magneto, it looks like that time has come."

"May I ask what they're planning, sir?" Olivia asked.

"I don't know her exact plans, but I do know that Waller had wanted her armored goons to go out on regular patrol with my police. However, she has been turned down repeatedly by both myself and the Metropolis mayor. It's also no secret that she's wanted to open more OHMR bases, like the one she has here, all across the country. Bad memories of the Cadmus concentration camp horrors had always stopped the OHMR from growing before. But now…."

"Fear of Magneto and his Brotherhood will erase whatever crimes Cadmus did in the minds of many people," Alex said.

"Exactly, Ms. Cabot. I know Batman was pivotal in taking down Cadmus," Henderson said to Olivia. "I was wondering if you knew if he had any plans on taking on the OHMR."

"I'm afraid the Batman doesn't tell me all of his plans," Olivia replied evenly.

"Well, if you should see him, or speak to him, then please relay my thanks to the Batman," Henderson said. "Despite the loss of life tonight, Batman has still helped save many more people, and for that, I'm grateful to him. I'd thank him myself, if he wasn't such an intimidating fellow…."

"Thank you, sir," Olivia said, as Henderson took his leave of them.

"Munch and Fin texted me," Alex said. "They're gathering with a bunch of the cops from the convention at a place called Carmine's Bistro. Jane and Maura will also be there. You feel like stopping off and saying hi?"

Olivia knew that she should be tired…hell, she should be exhausted right now. But the fact of the matter was that she actually felt wired. "I could do with some food and a bit of unwinding right about now. How about you?"

"Same here,' Alex said, as they entered the elevator. "So who worked you over?"

"Inspector Dan Turpin," Olivia replied. "He's so old school, he looks like he should be hunting down Al Capone. What about you?"

"Inspector Sawyer."

Olivia gave her a double take. "Tom Sawyer?"

Alex burst into giggles at that. "No, silly! Maggie Sawyer. You saw her at the convention when she tried to arrest Batman."

"And damn near crapped her pants when he dared her to," Olivia said with a grin. "The look on her face at that moment was priceless! Was she hard on you?"

Alex shook her head as she pulled out her cell. "Just asked normal questions about when we were taken hostage. But when she started asking the crazy stuff, like is Batman a vampire, that was when Henderson came in and called it off."

"Who are you calling now?"

"Lana and Chloe, to let them know we'll be a bit late." Alex frowned as she listened to her cell. "Strange, it went straight to their voice mail."

'Wonder that they could be up to?' Olivia thought, as Alex left a message. Then Olivia realized that she had a message of her own to give Alex. As they walked out to the street, she told Alex about what Munch and Fin had told her regarding Elliot shooting a teenage girl. After getting directions from Fin over Olivia's cell, they found Carmine's Bistro, a cozy little Italian place that was a pizza parlor and deli all rolled into one.

Olivia was about to enter just behind Alex when her cell phone rang. She did a double take when she saw the caller ID.

It was Elliot.

"Alex, wait, it's Elliot," she said, as she turned around and went back outside. "I've got to take this."

"Of course," Alex said with a nod. "You want me to order for you?"

"Yeah, get me a sub sandwich," Olivia said, as she walked out onto the sidewalk and took the call. "Elliot?"

"Are you all right?"

Olivia suddenly felt a tearful welling up of emotion come from within her. She had no idea just how much she had missed Elliot's big brotherly concern until she heard it right now.

"I'm fine," she replied, regaining her composure.

"You sure?" Elliot asked. "You sound a little shaky."

Olivia just grinned. Even after all this time apart, Elliot still knew her so well. "Yeah, I'm good. It's just so great to hear your voice again, El. It's been too long. I heard about what happened to you. How're you doing?"

"Never mind me," Elliot said. "You were the one taken hostage tonight. How's Alex?"

"She's good. We both are," Olivia told him. "Batman saved us."

"Yeah, I saw it on TV. Your buddy did a great job."

"Yeah, he did. But you were my first buddy, Elliot. Seriously, how are you?"

"Not so good," he admitted. "What have you heard about it?"

"Just before we were taken hostage, Munch and Fin managed to tell me that you had to shoot a teenage girl."

"Yeah. Sister Peg was also there," Elliot said, his voice sounding raw with emotion. "She was shot, Liv…she didn't make it. Sister Peg died in Dani's arms."

The tears now came fast and furious for Olivia once she heard that. Sister Peg was a young African-American community leader with an easy smile who ran a soup kitchen and shelter for the poor and homeless. Back when Olivia still worked with Elliot, they had relied heavily on tips from Sister Peg that helped them to break their cases.

And now Sister Peg, one of the most peaceful of women who would never literally hurt a fly, was gone. It was an even worse loss for her community than it was for Olivia.

"I've taken leave," Elliot said. "But I'm seriously thinking about just calling it quits altogether."

"Oh, Jesus," Olivia said with a heavy sigh. "Can you tell me what happened, Elliot?"

He did so, in a halting speech. Finally, after giving her the basics, Elliot said, "I-I can't. Not now. Not like this. Sorry, Liv. I was about to…but the phone is just too impersonal. I want to talk to you, though."

"Want me to come to you?"

"No, I need a change of scenery," Elliot said after a pause. "How about I come to you?"

"Great. Look, I'm still stuck in Metropolis until tomorrow, late," Olivia said. "That's when I give a seminar at the convention on SVU procedures. But Alex and I will be back tomorrow night, and you could stay with us at our place."

Yet Elliot nixed that idea, insisting that he would stay at a hotel. He didn't want to cause Olivia and Alex any disruptions, no matter how much Olivia protested how that wouldn't be the case.

Still, Olivia gave Elliot the specific number of Marty, the concierge at the Grand View Hotel. Marty owed Olivia a major favor after she had kept the name of the hotel out of the news when her SVU team busted a child porno ring that was meeting there. She told Elliot to be sure to tell the concierge that he was her friend.

Then, after hanging up with Elliot, Olivia called Marty, the concierge, to confirm a suite for Elliot and his family.

"He shall receive the presidential suite," Marty assured her.

"Oh, no, really," Olivia started to say, "there's no need to-"

"Inspector Benson, you have saved the reputation of this hotel," Marty solemnly said. "This is the least that we can do. If there's anything else you need, just say so."

A good twenty minutes had passed when Olivia finally entered the restaurant and took a seat that was reserved for her by Alex at the rowdy table filled with cops. When Olivia saw the hearty sub sandwich and a fruit drink that Alex had ordered her, she thought she wouldn't be in the mood to eat after hearing about poor sister Peg.

But her stomach had told her otherwise by rumbling loudly. It occurred to Olivia that she hadn't eaten all day, even before the death-defying thrills of the PBA dinner. And, thanks to Intergang, Olivia didn't even have time to look at her meal, much less eat it. And so she ate.

She spoke with Alex, Munch and Fin about what happened to Elliot in further detail. The shooter was a teenage girl named Jenna Fox, whose mother, a rape victim, had been killed in a staged robbery so she wouldn't be able to testify against Luke Ronson, her rapist. Even though Elliot and Dani were successful in bringing Ronson to justice, Jenna, fearful that he may still get off, shot up the whole SVU bullpen in an attempt to shoot Ronson, who was in the holding cell with two other men involved with the case. After pleading with her to drop the gun, Elliot had fired his own gun once, and the bullet found its mark. Young Jenna had died in Elliot's arms.

The rest of the cops at the table, which included Jane and Maura, as well as another NYPD detective named Kate Beckett, who sat with an overly chatty guy named Castle, all quieted down and listened to the story somberly. In the moment of silence that followed, Fin raised his beer bottle in a toast and said, "To Sister Peg! Hope she's giving God an earful right now."

"To Sister Peg!" the rest of the table said in unison as they raised their drinks in a toast.

Olivia then stood up and raised her beer in a toast. "To Inspector Callahan," she somberly stated. "A fine officer."

The gang gladly raised their drinks in a toast for the cop who had been killed while bravely trying to stand up to their Intergang captors.

The funereal silence that followed the toast was broken when Jane abruptly stood up, raised her beer, and said, "To the Batman! Our savior!"

"Yeah!" came a shout from down the table, as everybody enthusiastically joined in on the toast. "To the Batman!"

"One bad-ass mofo," Fin added.

"You realize that this has been the second police convention that's been shot to hell?" Munch abruptly asked. "I mean, that doesn't speak very well for us as cops, now, does it?"

"You kidding me?" Fin shot back. "We were _all_ taken hostage by a bunch of second rate stringers. There we were, fully armed, and these little punk bitches just strolled in and took over. That really hurts, man!"

"I hear you," Kate Beckett murmured. "It's frustrating as hell!"

"Hey, here's a question," Rick Castle said to the group. "What was the worst police convention you ever been to?"

"Easy," Fin replied, after a sip of his beer, "Gotham City."

"Really?" Maura said with a laugh. "That was worse than this?"

"You kidding? That had killer robots!" Fin waved his hand. "Ain't nothing out there beats killer robots!"

"Not even a bunch of angry mutants?" Castle asked him.

"He's a mystery writer?" Olivia suddenly asked Alex in a whisper. "Why's he here, researching a book?"

"He looks like he's more into researching Beckett," Alex replied, sotto voce. "You see the body language?"

Alex nodded with a chuckle at how Castle kept trying to casually put his arm around Beckett, only to pull it away whenever she shot him a look.

"Nothing beats killer robots!" Fin announced to the crowd.

"Technically, they weren't killer robots," Maura told him. She spoke with the slow and deliberate pace of someone who has had one too many. "They were vehicles operated by people…bad people, yes, but people, nonetheless."

Jane smiled affectionately at her. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure!"

"What about that theory you had about Batman? About him going crazy from drinking bat's blood?" Jane asked. "After seeing him up close and personal, do you still believe that?"

"I believe Batman is a god!" Maura blurted out. "A glorious, dark god of the night!"

Everyone at the table had bust up into riotous laughter at that.

Jane, who was also laughing, just shook her head and started to move Maura's drink away from her.

Maura had a shocked look on her face as she reached out and grabbed Jane's arm. "What are you doing?"

"You've had _way_ too much," Jane told her, as she brushed Maura's hand away and continued moving the drink from her. Jane called to the waiter: "Could we have some coffee here, please?"

"Oh my God, look who's here!" Alex said excitedly.

Olivia turned to see Abby Carmichael walk into the bistro. After she said hello to everyone she knew, Alex got up and brought her over to where Jane sat. "Do these two look like twins, or what?" Alex asked.

Both Abby and Jane just gazed at each other, puzzled, before Jane said, "You see a resemblance? Because I don't."

"Not at all," Abby replied.

"Are you kidding?" Castle said. "You two could play twins in the Parent Trap revival!"

Olivia didn't blame both Jane and Abby for looking a little creeped out over this. She still recalled the uneasy moment when she came face to face with Moiré Detune, a deadly assassin who looked just like her. That encounter still gave Olivia the heebie-jeebies to this day. Thankfully, Moiré was safely locked away in prison.

"It's not all that unusual to find somebody who looks like you," Maura spoke up. "Studies have shown that there are eight basic personalities in the world, and that we…oh God, I'm starting to sound like a dweeb, again, aren't I?"

"Yes, but you're such an adorable dweeb!" Jane said, as she pulled Maura into a loving, one-armed hug.

Olivia relaxed and enjoyed the company at the bistro for far longer than she had originally intended. It was just what she had needed, a break from the troubles of the day. When they finally broke up, with Jane and Maura both agreeing to attend Olivia's seminar tomorrow, Olivia and Alex finally returned to their temporary home at Lana's penthouse.

They strode inside to find Lana, Chloe and another woman seated in the living room. The third woman, who looked oddly familiar to Olivia, wore an entirely black outfit that set off alarm bells within Olivia's head.

"Hey, what's going on, here?" Olivia asked, as she kept her hand by the gun in her purse.

"Olivia, Alex," Lana said, as she stood up. "I'm so glad you're here! This is Francine Langstrom, and she has a hell of a story to tell."

Olivia suddenly realized why the woman looked so familiar. "Langstrom? Weren't you in charge of the STAR Labs in Gotham City?"

"Right," Alex added, "she ran it with her husband, Kirk…."

"That was before the OHMR kidnapped my husband and turned me into a fugitive," Francine said.

Chloe held up a hand. "Oh, and…uh, her husband is the bat creature that's been terrorizing Gotham City the past few nights."

Olivia and Alex exchanged a wary look. Then they promptly sat down on the sofa across from Francine, where they both removed their high heeled shoes and sat back expectantly.

"All right," Alex said, "you've now got our full attention…."

"Let me just get some tea and cookies," Lana said, as she ran into the kitchen.

"Nothing like sharing conspiracy theories over some tea and cookies," Chloe muttered.

Olivia noted that Chloe, who wore a skirt, had what looked like ligature marks on her ankles. "Were you just tied up?" she asked with concern.

As she held up her wrists, which also had the same marks, Chloe nodded. "Thanks to our guest, here. To say she's paranoid is putting it mildly!"

"It's a long story," Francine Langstrom said wearily.

Olivia glared hard at Francine. "Then why don't you get started? Tell it from the beginning, and don't leave out any of the details."

**B&B**

Once Cyril had returned to Metropolis with Ms. Waller, they both went straight to the facility, but the damage had already been done. What was designed to be a maximum security facility now looked nothing more than a battered building that had suffered a catastrophe. Both the windows and walls were smashed out, and Cyril already knew even before being told by Tyler, his second in command, that both of the meta prisoners were long gone.

'Two dangerous and deadly shape shifters, back out on the streets,' Cyril thought with a shake of his head. He knew that Ms. Waller had favored that Clayface character, treating him like he was her favorite pet. Yet Cyril never really trusted that bastard; he always got the uneasy feeling that Clayface played along with them and told them what they wanted to hear, until the moment came when he could escape. Mystique was always openly hostile towards them, but at least she was honest with her feelings; Cyril always knew where he stood with her.

However, if Ms. Waller was annoyed at the obvious betrayal of her favorite play dough boy, she didn't show it. Instead, she was all business, running around and receiving reports while she personally assessed the damage herself. She momentarily left Cyril to review the surveillance footage in the main security office. Cyril almost went with her, until he saw something that simply broke his heart.

He slowly walked down the hallway and saw the bodies of three of his men. They were still tangled up within the mass of steel bars. The jail cell bars had been bent into deadly cages by Magneto; with just a wave of his hand, that bastard had viciously slaughtered Johnny, Ted, and Juan. Johnny was still a single young buck playing the dating field, but Ted and Juan had families. Cyril still remembered the big outing they all had just a week ago, where Ted and Juan's kids were running around in his back yard with his own kids.

'Oh, Christ, how the hell am I going to tell Gina and Marie?' Cyril thought, as he gazed at the pained expressions the men had in their last moments, as the jail bars literally squeezed the life out of them.

"We can't cut them out just yet," Tyler said from behind Cyril. His voice was filled with sorrow. "We need an acetylene torch."

"We can at least cover them up," Cyril said roughly. "We can do that, can we?"

"Right away, Cap," Tyler muttered, as he quickly went to carry out Cyril's order.

"You at least deserve some dignity," Cyril whispered to the dead men.

Tyler returned with two other men. They carried canvas mats that they used in the maintenance department. But just as they were about to cover the bodies, Waller came over and said, "STOP!"

Cyril quickly waved off Tyler and the boys, thinking Ms. Waller wanted a last moment with three of her fallen men. But what he saw instead shocked him to his very core.

Waller turned to a man in a suit who held a camera and said, "Start taking pictures. And be sure to get the blood."  
>As the man began taking photos with the digital camera, Cyril wondered who the hell he was. It was obvious he wasn't a crime scene tech; he wasn't even wearing any gloves. Cyril flinched with repulsion when the man reached out and moved Juan's head, apparently to get a better view of the ugly gash on the side of his face.<p>

"Ma'am," Cyril said, using every ounce of his self-restraint to keep his voice respectful. "May I ask what is going on?"

Waller turned and smiled broadly at him. "Making lemonade out of lemons, Captain."

"And how are you doing that?"

Waller gestured at the devastation and the bodies. "This may look like a defeat for us, Captain. But, believe me, Magneto actually did us a favor! Human blood has been shed by Metas, and once we spread the word about what happened here tonight, once people see these bodies, they'll be begging for us to step up and protect them!"

"You're releasing these pictures to the media?" Cyril said, aghast.

"Not officially, of course," Waller assured him. "They will be 'accidentally' let loose on the internet. It's a neat trick that I learned from the Joker. He may not want to help us, but that doesn't mean we can't use his tactics."

Waller left him to direct the photographer into taking further pictures of the dead men. The mere thought of these slain men's families seeing the horrific way they died, along with the agonized expressions on their faces, was enough to make Cyril sick to his stomach.

It was bad enough that Waller had tried to get the Joker, that crazy bastard, to actually join them, but now this ghoulish display was more than Cyril could stand.

'What the hell are we doing?' he angrily wondered. 'What the hell have we become?'

**B&B**

Batman did a low pass over Gotham City, his eyes alert for trouble of any kind. No sooner had he reentered the airspace of his home town than he'd received a message from Robin stating that Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn had just knocked off the Gotham City Museum. In addition, there had been more reports of sightings of the mysterious bat creature.

But what was even more troubling to Batman was the source for all this news: Batgirl. Alfred said that she had called it all in before the Gotham City local news even reported on it. While Batman appreciated the heads up (Batgirl even went so far as to give the last known location of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn in the city before she lost sight of them; they had turned west on Plume Street), he was annoyed at the fact that Batgirl was out and about on a night when she was supposed to have been off duty.

Batman had grown to welcome and depend upon the vital help that young Barbra Gordon had given them as Batgirl. She had quickly assuaged his initial fears that she might not be ready for a life of crime fighting by becoming a trusted member of their team. Yet, she had always agreed to never go out as Batgirl by herself without authorization or backup by Batman. The fact that she had taken it upon herself to go after the bat creature, and nearly get herself killed by it, was disturbing news to Batman.

Even more disturbing was the fact that it was Catwoman who had come to Batgirl's rescue. It wasn't that Batman did not appreciate what Catwoman did; he was extremely grateful that Selena was on the scene to offer much-needed help. However, Batman knew that Selena, always the professional thief, must have been in the area to scope out the museum for a job when she ran into Batgirl.

'Only to wind up getting beaten to the punch by Ivy and Harley,' Batman thought, with just the slightest smirk. 'Ouch! That had to hurt. It was probably enough of an insult to Catwoman's pride to force her to hunt them down. And _that_ might just play into my favor.'

He was on his fourth run over the city when Batman realized that all had quieted down for the night. If nothing else, the reports of a rabid bat creature on the loose did wonders at keeping regular crime down. If only the damn creature didn't attack innocent people, as it had again tonight, Batman might actually consider deputizing it. He called back to the Batcave and informed them that he was coming in for the night.

Once he'd landed the Prowler in the hanger and opened the cockpit, Batman saw a surprising, and welcome, sight waiting for him.

Rachel stood by the edge of the landing pad. Dressed in a black turtleneck with gray slacks, her feet were bare. Her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, and the glasses she wore completed the picture of Rachel as a casually bookish-looking young woman. She was a damn sexy woman, regardless of what she wore.

She ran up to him and hugged him in greeting. Normally, Rachel hated to embrace him when he wore the Batsuit; she'd complain that the armor was too cold, and always waited for him to remove it before giving him a welcome hug. The fact that she hugged him right away meant she was seriously worried about him.

"Metropolis looks like a war zone," Rachel said, once they parted.

"It wouldn't be the first time," Batman grimly replied. "But Superman's back on the scene. Magneto used Kryptonite on him."

"Makes me wonder what will Magneto use on you?" Rachel nervously asked. "How will you deal with him when he comes here?"

Batman shook his head as they descended the steps to the Batcave proper. "He won't be. Magneto's got what he wanted, which was Mystique. Now he'll just move on with whatever mad plot he's got dreamed up. The X-Men can deal with him, now. As long as Magneto steers clear of Gotham City, he's not my problem."

"You wouldn't think that if you saw the news, lately," Dick said, as they approached the Batcomputer. He gestured at the massive screen. "Magneto and his Brotherhood goons are all they're talking about."

Batman watched intently as he saw various footage from all the major news networks showing Magneto attacking the MPD helicopters. The violent imagery was repeated over and over, with the usual talking heads blathering on about this 'latest meta assault' that had been inflicted on the humans of Metropolis. Batman took special note of one hysterical tagline that read: "HUMAN VS. META: THE WAR HAS BEGUN!"

When he saw this, Batman's hackles rose. But not because of Magneto. The leader of the Brotherhood Of Mutants was indeed a major threat who must be dealt with, but what really set Batman on edge was the carefully coordinated media campaign that he saw in full bloom before him. He realized the one word they kept using over and over was 'meta', and its constant usage in this hyped up, fear-saturated forum was developing a negative connotation in 'meta' with monster, or boogeyman. And Batman knew that this could only be intentional.

The war between human and meta had begun all right, but the first shot was being fired right here in the media by Amanda Waller and her OHMR.

**B&B**

Sam awoke from a bad dream where Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn were running around her apartment, spewing bug spray all over, and she tried not to inhale by holding her breath. She didn't realize that she was actually holding her breath while she slept, until Logan called her name and she woke up gasping for air.

He sat down on the side of her hospital bed and gently grasped her arms. He gazed at her with concern. "You all right?"

"Yeah. Just a stupid dream," Sam said, now feeling foolish. She saw that he wore his X-Men outfit, something which Logan only donned whenever he was about to go into action with the rest of the team. "You're leaving?"

He nodded sheepishly. "We've got a lead on where Magneto might be holed up. I'm sorry to be leaving you."

Sam shook her head. "No, I understand. I saw what Magneto did in Metropolis. How many of the X-Men are going with you?"

"All of us," he solemnly replied. "The entire team."

That gave Sam pause. She knew full well that it was a rare occasion when the entire X-Men team was called out. Whenever they were all called to arms like this, it was usually for a major threat. She recalled the frightening imagery shown on TV of Magneto pulling police helicopters out of the night sky, and realized that was what Logan would be facing. "Be careful."

"You too," he replied. "You're still going home tomorrow, right?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "Wish you were there, waiting for me."

"Hell, I'd be taking you home, you know that," Logan said. He squeezed her hand affectionately. "You be sure to go right home and stay there. Rest up."

"I wish you could do the same," Sam said, after they hugged and kissed. "Not only because I'll miss you, but also because of…." She shook her head, as she tried to give words to her darkest fears. "It's silly, but, the news tonight was really playing up the fact that what happened in Metropolis was the opening volley in a war between humans and Metas. The paranoia is almost as bad as it was back when Cadmus was running amok. I hate the thought of you just being out in this kind of atmosphere."

"Which is all the more reason why it's important that the X-Men take down Magneto," Logan told her, as he stood. "It's the only way we can counter these fear mongers. It's like what the Professor told me once, 'the best way to fight words is with deeds.'"

Sam smiled up at him. "He's a smart guy."

"Hey, that's why he's the Professor," Logan joked. He took her hand in his and kissed it. "I'll call you tomorrow, let you know how it's going."

"You'd better, or else I'll call you!"

After he had left, Sam, who found that she was unable to sleep, turned the TV back on. The news chattered on with the typical hysterics of the looming human/meta war. Just as she was about to turn the TV off again, Sam stopped when she saw Amanda Waller speaking during a press conference held outside of her battered facility.

"This is the crisis situation that the OHMR has been created for," she boldly said. "We have just been given the go-ahead from Washington to gear up for full scale Meta-policing operations. I have spoken with the mayor of Metropolis and informed him that my people stand ready to aid this great city in any way that we can. Let me assure all concerned citizens all over the country that the OHMR shall do everything in its power to stop this so-called war launched by Magneto and his Metas before any more innocent lives are lost."

Waller spoke some more, but Sam had switched it off. The news that the OHMR was gearing up for 'Meta-policing operations' was very scary. Sam remembered back when she first met Logan, during the dark days when they all battled Cadmus. And although that horrendous organization had been taken down, her biggest fear had always been that it would arise once more. Yet as she snuggled back up under the bedcovers, feeling like a scared little girl steeling herself for a night hiding from the boogeyman in her closet, a far more frightening thought had occurred to Sam.

'What if there was no real threat of Cadmus rising up,' she fearfully thought, 'because it never really went away after all?'

**B&B**

Finally, the lumbering freight train came to a halt. Yet he waited patiently within the darkness of the freight car. It was not time to make his move just yet.

Soon enough, the massive door on the side of the railway car slid open, and early morning sunlight streamed in as a pair of men checked over the interior of the car. Railway cars usually weren't checked out one by one like this in the old days, but thanks to the war on terror, as well as the newly declared human/Meta war that the media had started harping about, nothing was left to chance.

But as far as the men who inspected this car were concerned, there was nothing suspicious here. Just a simple crate, that's all. They entered the car and ran their Geiger counters over the crate.

"Nothing," one of the men said. "No radiation."

"Yeah, but it's not listed on the manifest," the other man said. He looked puzzled. "It shouldn't be here."

'Just my luck,' he wearily thought, 'I've got to get an over-eager do-gooder….'

"Probably just forgotten," the first man said. "Forget it."

The second man warily stared at the crate. "What if it's a bomb?"

"It's not radioactive."

"Not all bombs have to be nukes," the second man reminded him. "Remember Okalahoma City? Let's just make sure. Get the crowbar, I'm opening it up."

'To hell with this!' he angrily thought.

To the surprise and horror of the two railroad men, he instantly shifted from that of a simple crate back to his regular, humanoid form. One of the men had pulled his gun and tried to shoot, but he formed his fists into hammers and bashed them both up against he steel walls of the car. The force of the blow had crushed both of their skulls, instantly killing them.

He climbed out through the door and on top of the railway car, where he took a moment to admire the view of Gotham City in the early morning light.

"Home sweet home," Clayface muttered, his lips forming a smile. "Can't wait to finally get this party started…."

**To Be Continued...**


	7. Chapter 7

_My thanks to stargaze29 for the kind comments. I'd also like to thank those of you who favored/alerted this story._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Seven**

At the end of another night of flight operations, Rick Flagg was about to go consult with Karin when he received a phone call on his cell. It was Braddock, his superior officer. The fact that Braddock was actually calling, instead of sending one of his usual texts, told Flagg that something was wrong, something major.

"Yeah," he said into the phone. "What's up?"

"You underwent flight operations on a night when the Batman wasn't even in Gotham City," Braddock told him. "He was in Metropolis helping Superman and that Benson bitch. His Lordship isn't very happy about this."

'His Lordship' was the term they used for Senator Varlis, their commander in chief and main financer of this whole operation. The phones they used were all secure lines, but they still didn't want to take any chances. As Ms. Waller always said, it was prudent to act as if the enemy was always listening in.

"Do you have the Batman's itinerary?" Flagg said, annoyed. "Because we don't. Nobody knows what the hell Batman's going to do until long after the fact."

"You're saying you don't have a TV there? You don't have a computer with net access? You seriously didn't know the Batman was out of town? It was all over the news."

"Yes, we got caught with our pants down, I admit that. But we had already launched and were about an hour into the flight operations by the time we realized Batman wasn't even in town. And you know full well that we're running on a standard operating procedure that was established by His Lordship himself. We need to know before launch whether we should cancel for the night, because once we're engaged, it's not a good idea to issue a callback at the last minute."

"Yeah, but now we've got people in Gotham putting two and two together, realizing that Batman couldn't have been behind the attacks," Braddock countered. "It's hard to smear a guy that way, you know what I'm saying?"

"We focus the attacks on the regular, everyday mouth-breathers, anyway," Flagg shot back. "For these morons, keeping up with the news means reading about the latest celebrity sex scandal. They'll still believe Batman's behind the attacks even if he's not in town."

"All right, yeah, point taken," Braddock said, after a pause. "It might not matter in the long run."

"Any luck with the serum research?"

"Nada," came Braddock's reply. "It's looking more and more like what Langstrom created was an accident. And since he can't exactly help in the research, it'll be a long while before we can expect a 2.0 bat creature from the lab, so just work with what you got for now. Unless you hear otherwise from me, run the standard flight ops later tonight."

"Got it." Flagg ended the call.

When Flagg entered the central pen, he saw Karin gazing with concern at the creature, who hung upside-down from its perch; although sound asleep, he saw it was breathing heavily, as if it were in pain.

"What's wrong with him?" he asked Karin.

When she gestured at the creature's side, Flagg's eyes grew wide at what looked like bloody claw marks in the creature's leathery skin. "Good God," he said, shocked. "What happened?"

"He ran into something out there," Karin said, "something that fought back, hard." She shook her head in dismay. "If only he could talk, he could simply tell us what he encountered. For all we know, he may well have fought the Batman last night."

"The Batman was out of town last night, you know that," Flagg said. "And, as far as the serum goes, Dr. Langstrom didn't account for having the power of speech once the subject changed."

"I overheard you speaking with Braddock. Is there anything from him about them reworking the serum?" Karin asked. "Are we any closer to getting a more advanced, second generation creature?"

Now Flagg just shook his head sullenly. "No luck whatsoever. They're starting to think that the serum that Langstrom created was a fluke. Braddock also verbally spanked us for launching flight ops when Batman was out of town."

Karin shot him an irritated look. "Like we're supposed to know where Batman is every second of the day? The guy's practically a goddamned phantom!"

"I know," Flagg said, as he stared up at the hulking beast that hung in front of him. Completely naked, the monster's well-endowed sex organs were in plain view. To Flagg's untrained eye, the creature's 'equipment' looked like it still worked. And in that instant, an idea formed in his mind. "We have reports of women being attacked, right?"

"Yeah." Karin gestured at the slumbering creature. "In fact _he_ even tried to carry a woman off a rooftop, but she was too heavy for him. Why?"

'Bingo, that's it,' Flagg thought. 'The creature's sex drive is still working just fine.'

"I think we may not have to bother with reworking the serum in order to get a more advanced second gen creature," he told her.

"Really? How do you propose we get the second gen, then?"

"We just let nature take its course," Flagg replied with a smile.

Karin just stared at him as if he were crazy. "Are you kidding? I mean, God help the woman who gets impregnated by this thing!"

"I didn't say it would be easy," Flagg said. "But through the natural breeding process, the OHMR may finally get the true super soldier they're looking for."

**B&B**

The first thing the next morning, Olivia got dressed for the seminar she was scheduled to give, while Alex called Marguerite Pena to make arrangements to hide Francine within the Meta Underground in Gotham City. They had agreed that Alex would go back to Gotham City early with Francine while Olivia stayed in Metropolis to give the seminar. Lana would also be going to Gotham City with Alex and Francine, while Chloe would go with Olivia later. They had promised Francine that they would get involved in helping her, and Lana and Chloe were determined to keep that promise.

'Which was awfully nice of them,' Olivia thought, as she slipped on her shoes. 'Considering Francine broke into their penthouse and took them both hostage.'

Still, Olivia couldn't be too hard on Francine. She knew something of what it was like to be a fugitive, since her close friend Samantha Spade had been hunted by Cadmus not too long ago. And now here's the OHMR chasing Francine like she was a wild animal.

'The more things change,' Olivia wearily thought, 'the more they stay the same….'

Once she was fully dressed, Olivia turned around and saw Alex was sitting on the edge of the bed, with one bare foot on the floor, while the other was tucked underneath her. Clad in just panties and an "I fought Cadmus!" t-shirt, her blond hair was still ruffled from just having woken up.

Olivia thought she looked so beautiful that it gave her the crazy idea to just throw Alex back against the bed and to use her teeth to remove her lover's panties before seriously defiling her. She had even checked her watch, to make sure she had enough time to make whoopee…until Olivia abruptly stopped herself.

'No, there's too much to do today,' she chided herself. 'I should stay focused on the goals that we've set for ourselves for today. First thing is to get this seminar done.'

Olivia had been asked several times by the police convention organizers if she was planning to back out of the seminar. And they made it clear that, should Olivia choose to cancel, they would understand perfectly, given the fact that she was in the middle of a hostage situation last night. But now, more than ever, Olivia felt she needed to give this seminar. There was something very specific that she wanted to say. She planned on stopping off at the newsstand in the lobby of Lana and Chloe's building to get a much-needed prop for her speech.

After she hung up the cell, Alex sat back on the bed with a dejected look. "Damn it."

"What's wrong, babe?" Olivia asked.

"First off, we got the shelter set up for Francine," Alex assured her. "But there's a new problem. The number of Metas arriving for sanctuary have more than tripled since last night. Marguerite and the others in the Underground are becoming overwhelmed."

Olivia stared at her in confusion. "What the hell's going on?"

"This." Alex got up and turned on the TV set. Changing the channel to a newscast, they watched a news report about the attacks by Magneto on Metropolis last night. None other than Amanda Waller herself appeared, making a bold speech about how the OHMR stood ready to fight back the threat of war brought upon normal citizens by evil Metas like Magneto.

Once she was done, a news anchor came on, with the tag line "THE WAR RIGHT HERE AT HOME!" over his shoulder. The anchor then proceeded to calmly explain what concerned citizens should do if they encounter a Meta.

After watching five minutes of this frantic dog and pony show, Olivia just shook her head. "Unbelievable!"

"Marguerite tells me that every Meta they've encountered since this media onslaught has begun are scared out of their minds," Alex said. "They're convinced that the days of them being hunted by Cadmus have returned again. And can you blame them?"

"Of course not," Olivia replied. "Hell, this scares the crap out of _me_, and I'm not even a Meta!"

"Marguerite needs my help, desperately," Alex told her. "I'm going to have to take a more active hand in running the Underground, now."

Olivia thought back to when Alex had been arrested by Cadmus. The OHMR knew full well of her role in hiding Metas, and it was because of this fact that Alex had kept her distance from the newly revived resistance movement, acting as their leader from afar. "You sure that's a good idea, sweetie? Now that Waller's got her OHMR on the warpath, you might be making yourself a tempting target by stepping up with the Underground."

"What choice do I have?" Alex asked. "I mean, I've always known that they were watching me, which was why I stayed away from the Underground as much as I could. But things are coming to a crisis level; Marguerite needs my help."

Olivia had an uncomfortable memory of Alex as a prisoner of Cadmus. Those bastards had her trussed up and muzzled as if she was some sort of a wild animal. She mentally brushed those memories aside and gave Alex a hug. "Just be careful, please."

"I will," Alex solemnly promised. "Call me after the seminar? I want to hear how it went."

"Will do," Olivia said. "Elliot should be in Gotham City by the time you get there."

"If he's staying with us, then I hope he doesn't arrive before I do, or else he'll be stuck waiting for us on the street!"

Olivia shook her head. "I got him a room at the Grand View Hotel."

Alex frowned at her. "You put him up at the Grand Pervo Hotel? We just busted a ring of pedophiles there!"

"Yeah, but that's not the hotel's fault, is it? Besides, I offered for Elliot to stay with us, but he wouldn't hear of it."

Alex abruptly shook her head. "I know how stubborn Elliot can be. But he's practically family, and he's staying with us, and that's final."

"Yes, Ma'am," Olivia replied, as she gave Alex a joking salute.

They kissed and hugged once more before Olivia took her leave of Alex. The next time they would see each other would be in Gotham City.

She went out into the penthouse to bid goodbye to Lana and Chloe for now. But they were nowhere to be seen. Olivia found them, along with Francine, out on the patio, as they stared at the large column of black smoke that arose in the otherwise cheery Metropolis skyline.

"What's that from?" Olivia asked.

"The battle last night," Chloe answered. "The mall's wasted."

"The fire fighters have finally been able to get a hold on the fires," Lana added,

"Where's Superman?" Olivia wondered aloud.

"Out helping to hunt down Magneto," Lana said. "Superman volunteered his services in helping in the manhunt with the OHMR troops."

Olivia smiled. "Waller must have loved that!"

"She clearly wasn't thrilled," Lana said with a grin. "But since her group is supposed to be about human-meta relations, she couldn't very well turn him down."

"It was a smart move on Superman's part," Olivia pointed out. "He can keep an eye on the OHMR in the meantime."

"That was mainly why he did it," Chloe said.

Olivia glanced at Francine. "Alex tells me that everything's all set up for you in Gotham City."

Francine nodded. "What do we do once we get there?"

"I'll set up a meeting between you and the Batman later this evening," Olivia told her. "He'll want to hear your story firsthand. After that, he'll decide what our next step will be."

Olivia bid Lana and Francine farewell and left for the convention with Chloe. Olivia had already packed her things and would leave for Gotham City with Chloe immediately after the seminar. They stopped off at the newsstand in the lobby of the condominium so Olivia could buy a copy of the Daily Planet. It had a large photo of herself, along with Alex, Jane and Maura, from lat night, when they were bound and gagged hostages of Intergang. The photo was taken from the convention center's surveillance system.

Chloe eyed the paper with interest. "May I ask why you bought that? I mean, after all, you don't really need to know what happened last night, since you were right in the middle of it."

"It's for the seminar," Olivia answered. "You'll see."

Less than an hour later, Olivia stood in a packed auditorium of mostly fellow police officers from all over the country. She noticed there were a few reporters present, with several news crews in the last row above having set up cameras to record what she had to say. Chloe sat in the same row as Jane, Maura, Munch and Fin.

"When the Special Victim's Unit first began in New York," Olivia began, "we were treated horribly by the rest of the NYPD. They called us every name in the book: the panty police, the mealy-mouth patrol, the weenie squad. All of you are cops, and all of you understand the basic attitude of being a police officer. We see ourselves as being warriors for law and order who defend the weak. But in forming this macho attitude, many cops wind up developing contempt for those who become victims of crime. But they're forgetting a very important point."

Olivia then pressed a key on her laptop computer, which in turn switched on the slide projector. The audience gasped at the image which Olivia had projected on the screen behind her. It was a blown up picture of her, taken from the Daily Planet front page, of when she was a tie and gagged hostage last night.

"_Anybody_ can become a victim of crime," Olivia told the hushed crowd. "It doesn't matter who you are, or how tough you are, a criminal act can strike us at any time, and an act of crime will humble even the greatest of us. That kind of empathy for the victim is what the Special Victim's Unit is all about. And why I'm glad to be able to speak with you about it today."

After the speech, for which an embarrassed and blushing Olivia received a standing ovation from the crowd, she met up with Chloe and the others. She bid Jane and Maura farewell (after making sure she had their contact info), but before she bid farewell to Munch, Olivia had a question for him.

"Have you been in touch with The Question lately?" she asked.

Munch just shook his head. "Not even the Lone Gunmen can reach him. They seem to think he's off working on something very important. Nobody knows what."

"What about the Lone Gunmen?" Olivia asked. "They fins out anything about the OHMR?"

Munch shrugged. "When I last talked to them, they said that, from all appearances, the OHMR is an above-board, legitimate government operation."

"Which means we have to dig deep to find out what they're really hiding," Olivia muttered.

Olivia later left Metropolis with Chloe aboard a private jet, gripped with the unnerving notion that a major battle was coming; one that might be costly and could not be avoided. She had called Bruce and updated him on the situation with Francine.

After the call, when Olivia spoke her solemn thought aloud, Chloe said, "So what else is new? I mean, life seems to be a series of major battles, intermixed with little ones. All we can do is just fight as best we can."

Olivia reached out and gently squeezed Chloe's hand. "We couldn't ask for better allies than you and Lana."

When they landed at Gotham City International Airport, night had fallen and Olivia actually felt calm and at ease amidst the darkly gothic skyline of her adopted home. 'God help me, but I love this place,' she thought. 'And if there's to be another major battle, then at least I'll be fighting it on my home turf.'

**B&B**

"What are you looking for?" Dick asked.

"Doing some research into the Gotham City STAR labs," Bruce replied, as he glared at the Batcomputer. "It was formerly run by a husband and wife team, the Langstroms. But, within the past few months, they had been replaced by Dr. Neville Charger."

Dick looked puzzled. "Is this related to the bat creature case?"

"Yes. Liv called me earlier and filled me in on an interesting development. Francine Langstrom went to Lana Lang's place in the hope of getting help from them. It turned out that she's being hunted by the OHMR."

"Really?" Dick asked, stunned. "What's her power?"

Bruce shook his head at him. "She's not a meta. She's being hunted because of what she claimed happened to her husband, Kirk. Francine claims that Kirk was experimenting with a serum that changed him into the bat creature that's been strafing Gotham for the past few nights."

"Holy Jekyll and Hyde," Dick muttered. "Do you believe that story?"

"I'll see later on. Liv and Alex are arranging for me to speak with her…or, I should say, the Batman will be speaking with her."

"You need back up?" Dick asked, a hopeful look in his eye.

"Why don't we give it another night's rest," Bruce told him. "I appreciate the offer, but I'd rather not rush your recovery."

Dick nodded, but he appeared ill at ease. At first Bruce thought it was because he wouldn't be able to join him for yet another night as Robin. But then Dick said, "I heard what happened with you and Babs."

Now it was Bruce's turn to feel tense as he recalled the phone call he had before with Barbra. Because she had went out as Batgirl without authorization, he had effectively clipped her wings. She was barred from the team until further notice. "Until you can prove to us that you can be trusted again," Bruce had told her. "You need to learn that, when you are off duty, you are _off duty_, Barbra. You don't go out on your own. Got it?"

"Yes…." Her voice was a meek little sigh that wavered with the touch of a sob, and for an instant, Bruce had regretted his harsh tone.

Now he sat back from the computer and let out a sigh. "I knew it was a mistake to let her keep that old Batgirl outfit."

"That's hardly fair," Dick said. "She made that outfit herself, Bruce. She deserves to keep it."

"That's what Alfred told me." Bruce shook his head. "When she first joined the team, I was always uncomfortable with her going out with us. And I figured if I rode her hard enough, that she would quit."

"But she didn't."

"No, she stuck it out, didn't she?" Bruce said, not without some admiration in his voice. "But as long as she went out with us, I was fine with it. Because we could keep an eye on her. She's still just a kid, Dick."

"Not that much of a kid," Dick said. "I mean, she'll be graduating high school next year. And you've got to admit, she was a big help in letting us know where Harley and Ivy were last seen going."

"You defending her?"

"She trained very hard, Bruce. She can defend herself quite handily. I think she's earned the right to go out by herself as Batgirl if need be. It's a big city with a lot of problems."

"That it is, Dick." Yet he still wasn't sure if Barbra could handle herself alone as Batgirl. Perhaps it was because he still saw her as being the hyper little girl that she was when she first joined them. Dick had a point, Barbra had matured greatly in the past few years.

Bruce glanced back at the Batcomputer. "While I'm brushing up on everything that has to do with STAR Labs before my meeting tonight, why don't you continue combing the city for possible hideouts being used by Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy?"

Dick nodded as he sat down beside Bruce and switched on the auxiliary console. "You got it. You still think they could be hiding out in the city proper?"

"It fits. They disappeared way too quickly when Batgirl lost sight of them. That tells me they've got to be within a five block radius of where Batgirl last saw them."

"Thanks to Batgirl, without whose help we never would know where to start looking," Dick said, as he began searching a map of Gotham City that he called up onscreen.

Bruce gave him a smirk. "Don't worry, Boy Wonder, her suspension isn't permanent."

"That's good, because I'm actually starting to miss her," he replied. Then Dick glanced at him and added, "Uh…don't tell her I said that, ok?"

**B&B**

When Olivia arrived at her office with Chloe in tow, she received a call from Alex, who told her that she had deposited Francine at the safe house. Alex also said that she retrieved Elliot from his hotel room and brought him back to their place, where he was comfortably set up in the spare bedroom.

"That's great, hon!" Olivia said.

Then she was stunned to see the entire SVU bullpen rise up and give her a thunderous standing ovation. Olivia glanced at Chloe, as if to say, 'do you believe this?' Yet she was further annoyed to see that a grinning Chloe had joined in on the wild applause.

"What's that noise?" Alex asked over the phone. "Sounds like a freight train!"

"The goofy guys in the bullpen are all applauding me!" she said with dismay.

"Well, take a bow!" Alex told her.

"Talk to you later," Olivia said. Then she glanced at her team with an annoyed look. "I didn't do anything! I got taken hostage! What are you guys applauding for?"

"You deserve kudos just for surviving Metropolis, Inspector!" Kate happily replied. "That place is so cheery, it's creepy!"

Olivia pulled a laughing Chloe into a one-armed hug and said, "Has everybody met Chloe? She's from Metropolis, did you guys know that?"

"Present company excepted," J'onn politely told her. He placed a cake on his desk. It was decorated with little plastic people; one of them was a woman who looked a little like Olivia with her arms held triumphantly up in the air. "We wanted to get a more proper cake decoration, but this was the best we could do in a short period of time."

Mike pointed at the little woman figure with her arms raised up. "That's supposed to be you, but she's _not _surrendering," Mike said with an irritated look at Andrea. "She's holding her hands up in victory."

"Oh, you guys…." Olivia said, touched. "You shouldn't have…."

"Aww, that's so sweet," Chloe said.

"Isn't it?" Olivia agreed. "Thanks, so much! C'mon, let's dig in."

"Maybe we should see if Harvey wants a slice," Andrea suggested.

"Harvey? Bullock?" a confused Olivia said. "He's here?"

Katie nodded. "Came in early this afternoon. Said he came here straight from the hospital. Wanted to see you."

"I told him you were still in Metropolis and wouldn't be back until very late," Linda added. "He said he would wait, and he did…all day. I let him make himself comfortable in your office, boss. He looks really worried about something."

"Excuse me a moment," Olivia said, as she went to her office. "Chloe, help yourself to a slice, hon!"

She found Harvey gazing out the window. He turned and gave her a slight smile. "Congrats on surviving Metropolis, Inspector."

"Thanks, Harvey," she said, as she closed the door to her office. "We have cake. Want some?"

When Harvey shook his head in the negative, Olivia knew that, whatever problem he had, it must have been a doozey for him to turn down an offer of cake. "Did you get out of the hospital today?"

He nodded. The look on his face was clouded by anxiety.

"How are you feeling?"

"Good," he said, with a quick nod. "I feel like getting some payback from those two broads…but I gotta still take it easy, the doc sez."

"You still have the rest of the week off," Olivia said. "Why'd you come here?"

"To talk with ya," Harvey said. Then he just stood there, staring uncomfortably at his shoes.

"Have a seat," Olivia offered, as she sat facing him on the front of her desk. "What's the problem? I thought Renee was the one whom you talked things out with."

"I do," he said. "But this time, Renee's the problem. She's a dyke, Benson! And I never even saw it coming!"

'Oh crud….' Olivia dismally thought. "Um, have you spoken with Renee?"

"No, I haven't seen her since we've been released from the hospital." Harvey gave her a mortified look. "Besides, Renee ain't home. She's staying at her girlfriend's place! I still can't get over the fact that Renee, _my_ Renee, has a freaking girlfriend, Benson! She's a freaking dyke!"

'And what the hell am I, chopped liver?' Olivia angrily wondered. "Can I ask you something? Are you saying that, now that you know what Renee's sexual preference is, you want nothing to do with her?"

"NO!" Harvey bellowed. "Nothing could be further from the truth! I still love the little creep with all my heart, like she's my own kid sister. Renee is my partner, and nothing will change that. But she's a freaking dyke, Benson!"

"Ok, first off, please stop using that word," Olivia told him. "The term is lesbian. And you need to tell Renee what you've told me right away. Think about what Renee must be feeling right now, Harvey. Returning back to work might be very awkward for her as well. She's going to need all the love and support from you that you can give her."

Harvey suddenly stared at her as if he saw things in a new light. "Nothing's really changed, ain't it? I can treat her the same, just like always."

"Renee is the same Renee you know and love," Olivia told him. "This piece of news shouldn't change anything between you, not if you really love her as much as you say you do."

"I do." He got up from the chair and started walking towards the door. Then he stopped and glanced back at Olivia. "Oh and…uh, thanks, Benson…."

"Good to have you back, Harvey," a smiling Olivia said.

"Good to be back," he replied. "I hear the SVU's been picking up some of the MCS cases while we were all out. I don't like that. It ain't right having a bunch of second raters handling our cases."

"Don't mention it; we're happy to help," Olivia muttered, as she watched Harvey through the glass partition of her office as he helped himself to a piece of cake. "It's truly good having you back, Harv," she added with a chuckle. "Doesn't feel like a regular day around here without one of your backhanded insults…."

**B&B**

Michael "Mickey" Turftman sat on his cot in his cramped cell at Gothika Prison and let out a sigh. Through the cell's bars he could hear the usual frenetic sounds of life in a large prison: inmates were shouting at each other; guards were shouting at them to be quiet, all amid the occasional clang and clatter of a cell block door being closed.

'Two more years of this,' he thought forlornly. Still, he should consider himself lucky. Mickey had been willing to work with the DA, that Dawes broad, testifying against Matty, who had slaughtered Scott Thorne and his entire crew. But all of that become null and void when the OHMR took custody of Matty, who had become some kind of a weird shape-shifter.

Despite the fact that her case against Matty went out thw window, Dawes still cut Mickey a deal just because he had been willing to work with them. As a result, he only got two years in prison for being an accessory to drug dealing. With good behavior, Mickey knew he could shave that sentence down a great deal.

'I just have to survive prison,' he thought glumly, 'which has now become even harder….'

The news that Matty had escaped OHMR custody had hit Mickey hard. He requested special protection from the warden, only to be told that he was presently in the safest place in the world. "No criminal ever breaks into jail," the warden assured him.

But Matty was not just any criminal. Mickey saw what he was capable of, and it scared him to no end. Matty's powers were far more than just changing shape, he could turn himself into a hulking monster that crashed through stone walls like they were made of paper. He only hoped that if Matty came for him in here, Mickey wouldn't be caught trapped in his cell as if he were a doomed rat in a cage.

Mickey's dark musings were interrupted when a guard walked up to the cell door. He peered inside at Mickey and smiled. "How's it going, Mickey?"

Alarm bells rang within Mickey's skull when he heard that. He used his regular name, Michael Turftman, ever since he was first locked up here. Nobody knew what his nickname was, nobody but….

"Matty?"

The guard, who looked nothing like Matty, held up his finger. "Watch this."

Mickey watched in horror as the man's finger changed shape into that of a key. He then slid the "key" into the cell door's lock, then opened the door and stepped inside with Mickey.

"Pretty neat, huh?" the guard said. And now his voice sounded just like Matty. "They taught me that at the OHMR facility. They taught me a lot of things, Mickey. Like how you tried to cut a deal with the goddamned Gotham City DA, a deal that would have put me in jail for life."

"HELP ME!" Mickey screamed at the top of his lungs. "HE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

Matty, who had changed back into his own features, just smiled at Mickey. "I'd like to think of it as finally putting you out of your misery."

He brought up his hands, which were now shaped like a pair of sledgehammers, and slammed them together with Mickey's head right in between them.

Fortunately for Mickey, he never felt the killing blow.

**B&B**

Clayface changed back into the form of the guard and quickly stepped out of the cell, closing the door behind him. Then he waved down the guard at the end of the cell block and shouted, "Hey, we got a dead guy in here!"

When the guard came over and saw the headless body of inmate Michael Turftman in the cell, he let out a curse and opened up the cell door.

While he was inside the cell, Clayface made a point of calling several more guards over in an attempt to create as much confusion and chaos as possible. Then he used the milling crowd of guards and prison officials that were assembled outside the cell to quickly slip away.

When he reached the end of the cell block, Clayface glanced around the corner and saw a group of nurses leaving from the prison infirmary down the hall for the day.

With a big grin, he transformed himself into a female nurse and followed the crowd of nurses straight out the main doors of the prison.

Once he hit the streets, Clayface changed back into a man, this time clad in an expensive looking suit. He took the train, and was back in Gotham City within thirty minutes.

Standing in the middle of the busy train station platform in Gotham City, Clayface gazed up at an ad on the wall. Rachel Dawes stared back at him with a smile on her face. Under the picture of Dawes was the slogan: re-elect Rachel Dawes for District Attorney! Show Gotham City you care about fighting crime!

On the train ride back from the prison, Clayface had idly wondered who his next target would be. Now he knew. He remembered Waller telling him about how much of an ally to the Batman this Dawes was supposed to be, so not only would he be fulfilling a personal vendetta by killing Dawes, who would have locked him away for life, but he'd be messing up things for the Batman, which was even better.

'Kill all of the Batman's allies, before I kill him,' Clayface thought. 'Starting with Ms. Dawes….'

He looked forward to meeting her. She was such a gorgeous woman; he might just have some fun with Dawes, riding her like a bucking bronco at a rodeo, before crushing her head into a pulp between his hands.

Whistling a jaunty tune, Clayface walked down the platform, until he disappeared into the crowds.

**To be continued...**


	8. Chapter 8

_I'd like to thank stargaze29 for the kind words. I'd also like to thank those of you who favored/alerted either me, or this story._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Eight**

When Anne looked for her husband, she found him in the garage. Cyril stood staring off into space by the workbench. He held two pieces of wood in his hands, which were meant to fit onto a dollhouse that he had been making for Audrey, their daughter.

Anne approached him slowly, almost warily. When he still didn't notice her, despite the fact that she stood right next to him, Anne said, "Cy?"

He jumped back, as if startled out of his thoughts. "Whoa…."

"I'm sorry to have frightened you," Anne quickly said.

But Cyril shook his head. "No, it's not you. I was wandering off in outer space there." He put the pieces of wood down on the workbench in frustration. "Didn't get much work done."

Anne rubbed his arm. "What happened at the facility was horrible, with all of those deaths. It's understandable for you to be distracted."

"It's not just that," Cyril said. He shook his head and walked over to the tool box, where he placed the miter saw set back inside. "The deaths are bad enough, but there's far more going on, here, Anne."

"Tell me," she pleaded. "Don't hold it in."

"It's the way Waller treated my poor dead boys," Cyril said, his voice breaking. "They were nothing more than good publicity for her! You should have seen her, Anne, running around, telling the photographer what shots to take! I swear, Batman actually treated my guys with more respect than she did!"

"Batman?" Anne said in confusion. "Seriously?"

He nodded his head. "Back when we were sent into the Veldt Cement Works, when the Joker had set that bomb which blew the place up, remember?"

"How could I forget? You barely got out of there with your life!"

"I never told you this, Anne. But it was the Batman who warned me to get myself and my guys out of there. He told me there was a bomb in the building. He was the one who warned us, and who actually saved us. He didn't have to do that, but he did. I owe him my life, Anne."

"My God…." Anne was stunned to hear this. She had heard so many conflicting stories about the Batman: that he was a vampire; that he was a demon straight from hell…but now, upon hearing this, Anne Warsen considered Batman to be an angel. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

"Because of Waller," he replied. "She ordered us not to say anything because she didn't want any stories getting out that made Batman look good. She hates him, Anne. Waller doesn't care about anything but hunting down and killing the Batman. Hell, she even tried to get the Joker, that demented jackal, to help her!"

Cyril shook his head in despair. "And now I've got to help Waller hunt Batman down like he's some kind of an animal. I don't want to quit, Anne, because we need the money. But I don't know what the hell I'm going to do should the moment ever come when I have to pull the trigger on the Batman."

Anne hugged her husband tightly and said, "When that time comes, Cyril, you will do what you've always done. You will do the right thing. No matter what happens, my love, you will do the right thing."

**B&B**

"Got you," Catwoman said under her breath.

Spending the better part of the day crawling through the sleazy underworld pubs and bars in Gotham City had paid off for her. It didn't take Selena long to find Elias Jobson, a vagrant who had been drowning his sorrows alone at a table in the back and complaining about "them damn bitches."

Playing a hunch, Selena bought him another drink and then used her feminine charms on the drunkard, who was only too happy to talk about the two crazy broads who had kicked him out of his squatter's home: a nice, abandoned party supply store called Kick Up Your Heels, that was located over on Freemont Avenue.

Once darkness came, she emerged into the night as Catwoman, making a beeline straight for the abandoned party store. She staked out a perch on the roof of the building across the street and watched the building carefully. It was barely twenty minutes when she saw a bright light that came from in back of the store.

Moving over to the south side of the roof, Catwoman smiled when she saw a car pulling out of the rear garage. The convertible roof was pulled down this time, but it was the exact same car she had seen Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy in when they made their getaway from the museum with the diamonds.

'My diamonds,' Catwoman thought, annoyed. But she smiled again when she realized that, with Harley and Ivy now out, her diamonds were left alone. They were just waiting for her to retrieve.

She waited until the car was well out of sight before unfurling her whip and using it to swing across the street, thanks to the el platform. Once she was on the roof of the former party store, she peered into the skylight and saw what looked like a forest of plants below. If that wasn't a sign of Poison Ivy's presence, then she didn't know what was. "Holly, I was right," she spoke into her comm. "This is their hideout."

"Good," she replied. "Maybe after you get the diamonds, I'll call the cops on them for good measure."

Catwoman smiled as she slowly opened the skylight. "You are a devious child, my dear. Hang on, I'm going in now."

"Initiating radio silence," Holly said.

Catwoman dropped down into what looked to be the retail section of the former party store. She left her whip in place, dangling from the opened skylight, and glanced around in the gloom, using the night vision function on her goggles.

There were a lot of plants in here, which made the place look more like a flower shop. No doubt that was Poison Ivy's touch. After making a secondary sweep for any electronic surveillance devices, Catwoman was satisfied that she had the run of the place.

"Harley and Ivy are away," she said softly, "and the Cat can come out and play."

"You see the diamonds?" Holly asked in her ear.

"Nothing but plants," Catwoman said with a shake of her head. "You know, Ivy should just consider quitting crime and opening a gardening center, she'd be a natural at it."

"They might keep their stolen items hidden in a safe place," Holly suggested.

"Like in a private suite?" Catwoman said, once she spotted the bedroom. Then she saw the diamonds, left out in the open on a table with just a potted plant. "Wait, this is too easy…."

"What is it?" Holly asked. When Catwoman explained the situation to her, she said, "Yeah, it don't sound right. Be sure to check the room for any traps."

"Just did," Catwoman replied. "There's nothing."

"You sure you checked around the table itself?" Holly prodded. "Any wires?"

"Yes, Holly, I checked everything," Catwoman said, as she took a second look. "Still nothing."

"Well, maybe they really are as dumb as they look," Holly said.

Catwoman carefully strode up to the table and gingerly picked up the box filled with the diamonds. She was half expecting the box to be attached to a string, which would set off explosives. But there was nothing. She picked up the box without incident. "Looks like you're right, Holly, they _are_ really as dumb as-"

Just then, the potted plant abruptly spun around and spat out a cloud of spores right into Catwoman's face.

"Selena?" Holly asked, concerned, as Catwoman erupted into a violent coughing fit. "SELENA?"

Catwoman moved to retreat to the skylight, yet she found her balance was thrown off to the point where she fell to the floor. Her entire body felt numb as she struggled just to stay awake.

"Selena, talk to me, honey," Holly said desperately. "What is it?"

"Can't…I can't," was all Catwoman could say in-between her coughing fits.

She fell on her back and gazed up at the frightening sight of Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, who both stared down at her with big smiles. Harley held a big box in her hands.

"Look what we caught, mommy," Harley said with a giggle, "a naughty kitty!"

"Looks like we're going to have to teach her some discipline," Ivy replied.

With Holly still screaming her name, Catwoman then faded into unconsciousness.

**B&B**

"It's going to be nice having a new little playmate for us to have fun with," Ivy said, as she admired the unconscious Catwoman's lean, taunt body.

Harley abruptly regarded the little monitor on the remote control box she held in her hands. "Whoopsie! In all the excitement, I forgot about the car! Nearly crashed it into a pole there. Want me to bring it back?"

"No, it's got too much heat from the museum robbery on it, anyway," Ivy told her. "Get rid of it."

"With pleasure!" Harley grinned as she deliberately crashed the unmanned car into a streetlamp pole. "Gone! Boy, that was fun!"

"And now the real fun begins," Ivy said, as she pulled of Catwoman's boots. "Give me a hand, would you darling?"

Harley let out an excited giggle. "This night just keeps getting better!"

**B&B**

"When's he getting here?" Francine asked impatiently. "We're sitting ducks up here."

Alex instinctively regarded her watch, then let out a mental curse when she realized she could not see what time it was, due to the darkness on the roof. "Relax, he'll get here when he gets here."

"And when will that be?" Francine asked, her tone angry. "You said your girlfriend would also be here, too. But she's nowhere to be seen!"

"I told you, Olivia got held up at work! Just relax, everything's under control."

The hell it is," Francine snapped. "You're not exactly instilling me with a lot of confidence, Alex."

"You're a hell of a lot safer with Alex than you are with anyone else," a cold, mysterious voice called out from the darkness. "I'd trust her with my life."

Francine let out a yelp of surprise at the dark shape that emerged from the shadows.

"It's him," Alex told her. "He's here. You happy?"

"Where is Olivia?" Batman asked.

"She meant to join us, but got caught up when she stopped off at work," Alex explained. "The SVU is still running cases for the MCS, and they were called up to Gothika Prison for an unusual murder."

"How unusual?"

"Liv said something about somebody called Turftman getting his head smashed into a bloody pulp," Alex said. "They think it might be the result of a meta."

"Turftman?" Batman suddenly asked. "Michael 'Mickey' Turftman?"

Now Alex wished she had paid more attention back when she spoke on the phone with Liv. "Yes, I believe so. But I really can't be sure."

"Was the jail cell ripped apart?" Batman asked.

"No, at least Liv didn't mention anything like that. The prison guards found him dead in his cell, with his head smashed into a bloody pulp."

Batman glared at the western night sky in contemplation. "Interesting." Then he glanced at Francine and added, "Good evening, doctor. I believe you have a story to tell me."

Francine told him the same story that Alex first heard back in Metropolis: how Francine found her husband, Kirk, as a transformed creature at STAR labs, after having consumed a serum that he created for the OHMR. Yet when she called for help, instead of the hospital, Kirk was taken into custody, never to be seen by Francine or any other family members. And then Francine had found herself hounded by the OHMR into the life of a fugitive.

"When I heard about the creature flying around Gotham City," Francine said, "I just knew it was Kirk. I don't know what they're doing with him, or why. But I just know that Waller and the OHMR are using Kirk like a trained animal."

"Have you personally witnessed Amanda Waller giving such orders?" Batman asked. "Do you have proof that she's running this Bat-creature operation?"

Francine shook her head. "No. But she wanted Kirk and myself to create a serum that would turn a soldier into a bat creature. She rode us like a slave driver to perfect the damn thing, which was what caused Kirk to drink it when he did. She's responsible for him turning into this creature. She goaded him into trying it on himself."

"Only indirectly," Alex said. As much as she fought the instinct, she still thought like a lawyer all the time. "I mean, unless you saw or heard her either order or physically force Kirk to take the serum, it won't hold up in court."

"She's right," Batman confirmed.

"Well, that blows this whole case out of the water," Francine said with a helpless wave of her hands.

"You can still help us," Batman told her. "I need a detailed layout of the STAR labs here in Gotham City."

"You got it," Francine said. She looked confused. "But they've probably changed the security codes since I was chased away."

"That's not a problem," Batman said.

Alex glanced over at the STAR Labs building, which stood just a few blocks away from them. "You don't think they're running this operation from right over there, do you?"

"No, Alex, the STAR Labs building is too exposed," Batman said. "They would be running this from a subsidiary complex somewhere in the city. But the location of this secondary complex, as well as any files regarding the project, may be found at STAR Labs itself." He glanced at Francine. "Unless you know of any such secret location?"

Francine shook her head. "No, if there are any secret labs in Gotham City, it was kept from Kirk and myself back when we were running STAR Labs."

Alex thought that searching at STAR Labs was a great idea. But before she could voice her opinion, she was shocked by a loud crashing sound that came from down the street. When she glanced down in that direction, Alex saw a streetlamp go dark as it fell to the street.

She peered over the roof's protective wall and saw that a car had crashed into the streetlamp. A crowd surrounded the car, which oddly enough, looked empty.

"Is there anybody in that thing?" Francine asked. She stood beside Alex.

"I don't know. Doesn't look like it. Hey Batman, you'd better go check-"

Alex stopped speaking when she saw nothing but empty air behind them. The Batman had already left. Although she knew full well who the Batman truly was, Alex still felt a chill run up her spine.

"Oh my God," Francine said, shocked. "Where'd he go?"

"He's investigating the car crash," Alex said. She gently tugged on Francine's arm. "C'mon, let's get you back inside."

**B&B**

When Batman got back in the Prowler, he was deeply troubled. The fact that Mickey Turftman was dead was bad news. Turftman was the only member of Scott Thorne's gang who was still alive…other than Matthew Hagen, who had become Clayface. Rachel had succeeded in getting Turftman to testify against Hagen in court, until Hagen was snatched up by the OHMR as their prisoner, which made it a federal case that was out of Rachel's jurisdiction. So Hagen would be the likely suspect in Turftman's murder, because he had the motive, which was revenge, to kill Turftman.

But what was especially troubling was how Turftman had been killed. Clayface always relied on brute force the last time Batman had tangled with him, making him the proverbial bull in a china shop. The fact that Turftman was found dead in his cell meant that Clayface's powers were becoming more refined; he was now a far more sophisticated opponent, which made him ten times more dangerous.

Yet as he removed the Prowler from hover mode and veered off into the night sky, another more disturbing thought occurred to Batman: where did Hagen learn to refine his shape-shifting abilities in the first place?

'He was locked up with Mystique, a master shape-shifter, at the OHMR facility,' Batman realized. 'Hagen must have had time to compare notes with her; to learn from her. But the amount of training involved would have been impossible while they were both imprisoned.'

Unless…

Batman nodded grimly to himself. 'Yes, it made sense, in a sick sort of way,' he thought. 'Waller could have arranged for Hagen to learn under Mystique's tutelage simply by turning a blind eye at the right moment. She might have been planning to spring Hagen, to send him back here to Gotham City as her own trained assassin, until Magneto came along and unwittingly carried out Waller's plan for her.'

Batman put these musings aside when he reached the site of the car crash. He slowly circled the car, which was a convertible that had smashed into a streetlight. There was something oddly familiar about this vehicle.

"Robin, I need information on a car," Batman said. "A red, four-door convertible."

"You have the plates?" Robin asked.

"Checking now," Batman replied, as he consulted a magnified image of the license plate on his console. Once he saw the numbers and letters, Batman relayed the information to Robin over the comm.

While Robin was busy checking on the Batcomputer, Batman redirected the Prowler's camera for a better view of the car's interior. Using the infra-red, he saw there were no hot spots, nor any electronic chatter; which meant there were no signs of a bomb, or anything else nasty.

When he switched back over to the regular camera, Batman was surprised to see that, instead of a driver, there was some sort of electronic rig set up in the car behind the steering wheel.

'A remote control device,' Batman realized. 'Did it suffer a problem? Or was this car deliberately ditched by someone over long distance?'

"We got a hit," Robin excitedly called over the comm. "That exact same car was used in the museum diamond heist by Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn."

Batman glanced at the map of the area he flew over. "Do we have any possible hideouts for Ivy and Harley anywhere within Freemont Avenue?"

"There's one place, a closed-down dry cleaning business called…no, wait, scratch that, Batman," Robin said. "The info here says the place burned down to the ground, which would make it pretty hard for Harley and Ivy to use as a hide out."

'They're here, somewhere,' Batman thought, as he gazed down at the darkened streets below. 'They're close. I can feel them….'

"Any other places on the list?" Batman persisted. "Anything at all, even a place that's a long shot?"

"Well, there's an abandoned party store called Kick Up Your Heels," Robin answered. "But that sounds more like a place the Joker would choose to hole up in. Wonder if Harley and Ivy would still move into a place that reminds them of a guy they both hate?"

"Only one way to find out," Batman said, as he kicked the Prowler out of hover mode and flew towards the location.

**B&B**

"Hey, Elliot!" Olivia said, as she hugged him tightly. "Have you been waiting long?"

"Nah, just been chilling here since Alex dropped me off," Elliot replied with a shrug.

They stared at each other soberly for a moment as they stood in Olivia's living room, and then they hugged tightly once more. It was so good for Olivia to see her old partner, and friend, once again. It was even better for her to hold him in her arms like this.

"I'm so sorry about how you've just been dumped here by yourself like this," she said, when they broke their embrace. "It's just been really crazy around here lately, but then again, when isn't it crazy?"

Elliot just waved it off. "Don't have to explain it to me, Liv, I understand. Alex mentioned you had a murder at the prison?"

Olivia nodded as she pulled her shoes off. "Yeah. Normally it would be a case for the Major Case Squad. But they've all just getting out of the hospital now after what happened to them."

"The terrorist attack, yeah, I saw it on the news. Everybody there ok?"

Olivia paused to give him a frown. "Terrorists? It was an attack by Poison Ivy, who broke her girlfriend, Harley Quinn, out of jail."

"Hey, that's what the media's been reporting it as," Elliot said, holding his hands up. "You know, the whole 'War At Home' thing?"

Olivia was troubled by the re-labeling of a pair of local dirt bags like Harley and Ivy, whom she had always considered to be low-life criminals, as terrorists. Granted, an assault on a police station was pretty hard core, but Olivia could sense Amanda Waller's fingerprints all over this. This was yet another volley that had been fired by the OHMR in the media.

'How soon can we expect to see the OHMR's jack-booted thugs marching through the streets of Gotham City?' Olivia darkly wondered, as she put her jacket away. 'All under the guise of 'protecting' us from harm?'

However, she was so grateful to see Elliot again that Olivia pushed all thoughts of the OHMR out of her mind and focused on him. "Everybody in the MCS is fine," she said, answering his question. "They'll be back at work fairly soon."

Yet Elliot gave her a knowing look. "And what about you and Alex? Are you guys back at work, too?"

Olivia gave him a questioning smile. "I sense a double meaning in there, somewhere, El."

"Alex has started up the Underground Railroad for metas again, hasn't she?" Elliot asked. "In response to all this 'War At Home' nonsense, right?"

"She started it up some time ago, when a meta came to her for help," Olivia said. Olivia remembered how shocked she was to hear that Bruce Banner and his girlfriend Betty were forced to go on the run once more. Last she'd heard, they were happily living uncover here in Gotham, thanks to Alex.

"You two should be very careful," Elliot warned her. "That Waller broad's been on the warpath, and not just about metas, but also threatening those who help hide them."

Olivia just grinned at him. "If I were really careful, I wouldn't have said a word to you at all. For all I know, El, you might be working undercover with the NYPD to try and get me to tell what I know about the Underground."

Elliot shook his head at her. "No need to worry about that."

"Oh, I know you'd never do such a thing, El."

"It's not just that, Liv," Elliot said. "I'm no longer with the NYPD. I've made my decision: I quit."

Olivia just stared at him in open-mouthed shock.

Then she received a phone call on her cell. Olivia was tempted to let it go to voice mail until she saw who it was from.

"Hold on one second," she told Elliot, as she switched on her cell. "Yeah?"

"I have a little present for you," the Batman told her.

**B&B**

'Oh, you have got to be kidding me,' Selena thought, once she woke up.

She found herself lying on her side on the king sized bed in Harley and Ivy's private suite, having been stripped of her Catwoman outfit. Clad in just her panties and a sports bra, Selena's wrists were bound together behind her back, to her ankles. She was trussed up like a calf at a rodeo and gagged for good measure.

"Hiya, toots!" Harley cheerily chirped as she entered the room. Barefoot, she was clad in just a teddy, with her blond hair tied back into twin ponytails. She held a pair of drinks in her hands, which she placed on the nightstand by the bed. "Ready to have some fun?"

"Nice of you to finally join us, Catwoman," Ivy said. She slinked into the room and crawled onto the bed beside Selena. Ivy was also barefoot and clad in just a scant teddy.

'I _really_ don't like the direction this is heading!' Selena warily thought, as Harley climbed into bed next to her and gently tickled Selena's bound feet.

"We figured that, since you weren't wearing any clothes, we'd join ya," Harley said to a wide-eyed Selena. "You know, sort of like a big old slumber party!"

"You can keep the freaking diamonds! Just let me go!" Selena had tried to say, but her gag had reduced her words to mumbled grunting.

"It will be a slumber party you will never forget," Ivy said, as she slowly hooked a finger around the side of Selena's panties. "Followed by a kiss from me that will be very special, because it shall be the last kiss that you will ever receive in this life."

Harley giggled as she reached down to touch Selena's breast.

'Oh, dear GOD!' Selena thought, as she shook her head frantically. 'You might as well just kill me now!'

"Is this a private party," a starkly vile voice abruptly whispered, "or can anyone join in?"

"WHOA, JESUS!" Harley screamed in fright, as she and Ivy both leapt off the bed at the same time. "WHO INVITED HIM?"

Selena was never more happy to see the Batman standing there than she was right now. She practically had tears of joy.

"What are you waiting for, Harley?" Ivy said. "Hit it!"

Harley punched a button on the side of the nightstand.

Selena saw a trapdoor drop open in the floor right in front of the doorway.

The only problem was, Batman saw it as well. He simply stepped past it and continued his stride into the bedroom suite.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Harley angrily said, as she charged at Batman.

But the Dark Knight had effortlessly grabbed her arms and twisted them behind her back, where he cuffed them together to an old metal radiator in the corner. Once Harley was out of the fight, Batman then turned his attention to Ivy, who backed up against a blank wall.

"Care to come quietly?" the Dark Knight asked.

"Never," she replied, as she pressed a hidden button.

The wall slid open behind her, and Ivy slipped into the darkness.

"Hey, where the hell are you going?" an angry Harley called after her. "Don't leave me here!"

"That's true love for you," Batman muttered, as he moved to give chase to Ivy.

Selena, who was still helplessly hogtied on the bed, let out a squawk of protest from under her gag.

"Yes, hello, Catwoman," Batman casually said as he walked past her. "I'll be with you in just a moment."

'Oh, you insufferable bastard!' she thought.

**B&B**

Batman warily followed the narrow passageway to the destination where he'd figured it would lead: to the garage. Once he emerged from the wall, he found an angry Poison Ivy cursing and flailing her arms while she stood in the empty garage. Not only was there no car for her to make her escape in, but there were also no plants nearby for Ivy to manipulate.

She had finally been backed into a corner, and Ivy knew it.

"It's usually a good idea to already have a replacement vehicle in reserve when you ditch a hot car," Batman told her.

Ivy stopped being furious and whirled around to face him. She smiled sweetly as she gestured at her teddy. "You haven't exactly caught me at my best right now…."

"Which is how I normally like to deal with you," Batman said. He held up a pair of handcuffs. "It's over, Ivy. All that's left is how hard you want to make it on yourself."

With a resigned sigh, Ivy held out her hands. She grimaced as Batman pulled her arms behind her back and cuffed her wrists together.

Yet even with her hands cuffed, Ivy would not give up. She seductively rubbed her leg against Batman's and slowly puckered up her lips to give him a kiss. "Are you sure we can't have a little fun before you take me in?"

She let out a startled yelp as Batman grabbed her by the throat and hauled her over to the workbench, where he got a roll of duct tape. He placed several strands of tape over Ivy's mouth, then, using a marker from his utility belt, he left a note for the arresting police officers by writing right on the tape over Ivy's mouth: "be careful; poisoned lipstick."

He then flung the now struggling Ivy over his shoulder and brought her back to the bedroom suite, where he re-secured her cuffed hands behind her to a pipe on the wall.

Harley was straining to pull herself loose from the radiator by sheer force of will…and she failed miserably. Ignoring her, Batman lifted the still-trussed up Selena over his shoulder and carried her out of the bedroom.

He placed her down on the floor in the greenhouse section and used a bat dart to cut her loose. Once free, Selena pulled off her gag and spat out a wadded up ball of cloth from her mouth like it was a hairball. Then she stood up and coolly regarded Batman with the best innocent look she could muster. She had cut her black hair, and the short, spiky look really suited her. "Fancy meeting you here…."

"I was about to say the same for you." Batman said. "How did you wind up here, as a prisoner of Harley and Ivy?"

"Oh, well, uh, I was just out, about town, minding my own business when they just abducted me," she replied.

"While you were dressed as Catwoman?" Batman asked, as he pointed at her discarded Catwoman outfit.

She glared at that with wide eyes. "Um, well, no…you see, they wanted me to do a break in for them, but I refused."

Batman just nodded at her, not believing a word she had said. Yet he had no real evidence that she had committed a crime. And Batman was keenly aware of the fact that Catwoman had helped Batgirl fight off the Bat creature.

In short, he owed her one.

"You can see yourself out, I presume?" Batman said.

Catwoman stared at him, stunned. "You believe me?"

"Not at all," he replied. "But, given the circumstances, I'm cutting you a break. Get dressed and get out of here."

"Not a problem," she said, as she quickly got dressed with a smile. "I appreciate it."

"Stay out of trouble," Batman told her. But when he turned to look at Catwoman, he saw that she was already gone.

'Perfect waste of talent,' the Dark Knight thought, as he returned to the bedroom and viewed the helpless Harley and Ivy.

He made a call on the private comm system to a close friend.

Olivia answered. "Yeah?"

"I have a little present for you," he told her. "Do you know the old Kick Up Your Heels party store on Freemont?"

"Oh, crud," a dejected Harley said with a moan, "this really sucks…."

**B&B**

"I really appreciate this, Barbra."

"Don't mention it, Alice," she replied.

They stood behind the glass doors of one of the massive foyer entrances to the Showcase Square Mall. After spending the last two hours just hanging out and shopping, Barbara was about to take her leave of her friend when Alice had stopped her.

Alice was supposed to be meeting her mother at the south entrance, but her mom was running late, so Barbra agreed to wait with her. Alice still looked a little frazzled from their last encounter with the Bat creature, and Barbara really couldn't blame her.

'Fighting that damn thing nearly took everything I had,' Barbra thought, as she uneasily recalled her own encounter with the creature as Batgirl. If it hadn't been for Catwoman arriving when she did, Barbra wondered if she could have even stood a chance against it.

'Serves me right, for going out as Batgirl without authorization,' she glumly thought. She had promised Bruce that she would never wear her old Batgirl outfit on duty, and then here she went and did exactly that. Barbra wasn't exactly acting very trustworthy when she went out on her own.

The result was that Barbra had been temporarily suspended from the team, and while it was a heart-wrenching blow for her to take, she understood the punishment and was willing to take it. Barbra just hoped her suspension didn't last for very long. She was itching to get back in action as Batgirl.

Alice pointed at an SUV that had just pulled up. "There's mom now. C'mon, we'll give you a lift home."

"No argument here," Barbara said, as they went outside to the car.

As she walked through the briskly chilly night air, Barbra had a strange sense of danger that caused her to abruptly glance up.

And just in time, for her eyes grew wide with terror when she saw the Bat creature come silently swooping out of the darkness.

"GET DOWN!" Barbra shouted, as she shoved Alice to the ground.

The Bat creature let out an angry screech as it flew directly over where they had just stood.

Alice's mom, seeing this scene, got out of the SUV and starting screaming hysterically.

Barbara, fearful that the woman might be attacked next, stood up and shouted, "GET BACK IN THE CAR! HE CAN'T ATTACK YOU IF-"

"BABS!" Alice suddenly screamed. "LOOK OUT!"

Just as the Bat creature attacked her once more, Barbara tried to duck….

….but it was too late.

Barbra let out a horrified cry as the creature grabbed her with its claws by her backpack. Before she could even react, Barbara saw that the monster had already taken her high up in the air; too high for her to be able to jump to safety.

She was a captive of the creature, who effortlessly took her straight over the city to an unknown destination, and fate.

"Oh, Gawd!" Barbra said helplessly.

**To Be Continued...**


	9. Chapter 9

_My thanks to stargaze29 for the kind words. Merry Christmas, everybody! _

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Nine**

'I don't believe this,' Barbra thought. 'Is he taking me directly to his hideout?'

It must have been a good ten minutes of flight time, during which the Bat creature had flown over the entire length of the city. Barbara had half-expected it to take her to the Iron View section, because that area was largely abandoned and was a favorite hiding spot for the lowlifes in Gotham.

Yet the creature had flown in the opposite direction, unbothered by a driving rain storm. It had a firm grip on her backpack with its claws. Barbara had wanted to do nothing more than to slip out of the straps and jump, but they were way too high.

Barbra had tried to use her cell phone, but combination of the constant rain, which made her hands slippery, along with the jerky movements of the creature itself, had made her drop the damn phone about ten stories above the street.

Yet as they approached a nondescript warehouse in the suburbs just outside the city, Barbra noticed that the creature began to fly lower.

'We're coming in for a landing,' she realized, as the ground rapidly came up to greet her.

She slipped out of the straps of her backpack and dropped to the grassy ground, which was slick from the icy rain. After rolling helplessly for a moment, Barbra quickly got to her feet and tried to get her bearings.

There were no signs on the outside of the warehouse to indicate what this place was; but then Barbra probably shouldn't have expected this place to have 'Bat Creature's Lair!' in a bold, blinking neon sign on the roof.

The creature, noticing that its prey was loose, let out a roar of disapproval as it dropped her backpack and swooped around to retrieve her once more.

"Thanks for the ride," Barbra muttered, as she broke into a run, "but I can manage from here…."

There was a tall metal fence between her and the woods, but before she could scale it, Barbra had to deal with Dracula's Pet, who was practically breathing down her neck right now.

Barbra dropped facedown on the ground, just as the monster flew directly over her, its claws grasping at empty air. Barbra, now completely soaked from the driving rain, picked up a large rock from the ground and stood to face her unnatural assailant.

'If I could just bash it on the head,' she thought, 'I might distract it long enough to-'

Barbra flinched when she felt a sharp pain in the side of her neck. When she reached up and felt the afflicted area, she was stunned that a dart stuck out from her skin. She pulled the dart out and stared at it, but her eyesight became blurry.

'Tranquilizer dart!' she realized with horror.

As hard as she tried to fight it, Barbra was so dazed from the drug that she dropped the stone and fell to the ground. A man holding a tranquilizer gun walked up and loomed over her.

"Looks like our boy brought back a girlfriend for himself," he said with a smile.

That was the last thing Barbra saw before she blacked out.

**B&B**

Having just left Ivy and Harley for Olivia to find, Batman hovered over the city in the Prowler and considered where would be the best place for him to start hunting for the Bat creature.

The comm screen on the dashboard switched on, and Alfred's frantic face appeared. "Sir, there are news reports which state that Ms. Barbra has been abducted by the Bat creature!"

"What?" Batman said, startled. "What news reports?"

Dick appeared next to Alfred. Batman saw that he wore his full Robin outfit. "All of them," Robin replied. "All news on every channel has it. She was abducted right outside the Showcase Square Mall. Somebody on the scene took video with their cell phone camera."

"Do you have the video?" When Robin nodded, Batman said, "Show me."

Batman watched on a second monitor, growing enraged, as a civilian-clad Barbra was helplessly carried off by the Bat creature near the mall's entrance. "Damn it!"

"What shall we do, sir?" Alfred asked. He looked horrified.

"Stay on course," Batman answered. "We launch the team into STAR Labs right now. Robin, how do you feel?"

"Like kicking some Bat creature ass," he growled.

"Good, you lead the team into STAR Labs, and find out whatever you can about this Bat creature operation. Take Liv along with you and Chloe; I want the Huntress watching your backs."

"She might be busy running the SVU, sir," Alfred pointed out. "They would be on full alert for something like this."

"If she can't get away, that's understandable, but this is the first real lead we've got concerning this creature. I know Liv, she'll want to be there to help."

"Where will you be?" Robin asked.

"I'll tackle the problem on my end by personally hunting the son of a bitch down and asking it where Barbra is. If it won't talk, then I'll follow it back to its lair. One way or another, we're finding Barbra and getting to the bottom of this mess tonight."

"Looks like you got the main mission tonight," Robin said. "Sure you don't need back up?"

"Both missions are after the same goal, Robin. If you can also uncover evidence leading to whoever is behind this operation on your end, then all the better. Someone purposefully set this monstrosity loose on Gotham City; whoever is behind this, I want him."

Robin nodded. "Got it. Good hunting, Batman."

"You too."

Batman switched off the comm and sent the Prowler into a sharp dive down towards the city. He would need the tallest building in town for this…no, actually, he would need a nice, large building with a flat roof. One that had plenty of space for a fight. The Vermeer Building was perfect. That would be where he'll set up.

Batman glanced over and saw the Bat-signal in the night sky. 'Poor Jim must be out of his mind with worry,' he thought.

Batman was tempted to make a quick visit to the roof of police headquarters, to just reassure his old friend that he was on the case and will bring Barbra back home safe to him. But even a brief visit would take too much time…and time was something they didn't have a lot of right now.

'Sorry, old friend,' Batman thought as he veered away from the Bat-signal. 'But hopefully, the next time you see me, it'll be with you holding Barbra safely in your arms.'

**B&B**

Katie was exhausted by the time they reached Police Headquarters. They had spent the better part of the day and evening at Gothika prison, where Katie had tried her best to ignore the foul sexual obscenities that were being screamed at her by the inmates.

Katie marveled at how Inspector Benson was as cool as a cucumber during the constant violent haranguing from the inmates. It made Katie wish that she had a hide as thick as Benson's. At one moment, just when a tensed-up Katie thought she couldn't take any more, she discreetly felt a hand start massaging the nape of her neck. She smiled up in thanks at J'onn, who continued to expertly work out the tension in her neck muscles.

That little massage by her partner and lover had done wonders in rebuilding Katie's fortitude. However, once they reached Police Headquarters with Inspector Benson and gave their report to Gordon, Katie was ready to crawl into bed, preferably with J'onn beside her.

There was now no doubt among them that Clayface, who had escaped OHMR custody, was here in Gotham Coty. After filling in Gordon on the murder at Gothika, they left his office and proceeded to go over to the District's Attorney's building, which was linked by an enclosed walkway above the street. Benson kept glancing at her watch and muttering things like, "I hope he doesn't get bored….."

When J'onn asked what was wrong, Benson told them about how Elliot Stabler, her former partner in the NYPD was in town, and how the Inspector was being a bad host by leaving him alone for as long as she had. "I've barely spent five minutes with him as it is!" she said.

"Allow us to give the report to the DA," J'onn offered. "Go see your old partner."

Katie nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we got this, Inspector. Go ahead."

"Thanks so much you guys!" a grateful Olivia had said. "I'll see you tomorrow…barring any further disasters tonight, that is!"  
>Katie normally didn't like using the enclosed walkway between the buildings during the summer months. But now, she welcomed the warmth and dryness of the walkway, as opposed to the chilly autumn rain that fell outside.<p>

Once in the DA's building, they found District Attorney Dawes standing in the hallway outside her office, speaking to an older man whom she referred to as Vincent. Dawes shook her head in disbelief and said, "I don't believe this! He actually wants to debate me!"

"So?" the older man said with a wave. "He's so hot for a debate, then debate him! He's just a plumber, Rachel. You'll blow him out of the water and show him to be the fool that he truly is."

"Excuse me, Ms. Dawes," J'onn said. "But we're here to-"

When he abruptly stopped speaking, Katie noticed that J'onn stared at something with a harsh look on his face.

Katie saw J'onn had glared at a beautiful woman in a snazzy business suit. The woman stared warily back at J'onn with a mixture of confusion and fear.

"Get Ms. Dawes inside her office right now," J'onn told Vincent. "And call her personal security here, now!"

"What's is it?" Katie asked. The tiredness she previously felt evaporated as she felt her muscles getting all coiled and ready for action.

"This woman," J'onn said. And he spoke loud enough for the woman to hear. "She is not who she appears to be."

And with that, the woman let out an angry curse as she broke into a mad dash down the hall, shoving another woman to the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" Katie muttered, as she and J'onn ran after her with their guns drawn.

"Keep Ms. Dawes locked up, with her personal security surrounding her at all times!" J'onn called back to Vincent. "Do it now!"

"How did you know?" Katie asked, as they followed the woman into the stairwell.

They paused in the stairwell to see which way she had gone.

"She's not a woman. It's a shape-shifter," J'onn said quietly. He did a double take at a large garbage can at the top of the flight of steps in front of them. "And _that_ wasn't here before."

Katie was stunned to see J'onn point his gun at the can and fire off a round, which sounded deafening in the stairwell. But she was further astounded to see the garbage can abruptly change shape into an large eagle that flew straight up the stairwell, towards the roof.

J'onn abruptly took flight and shot up several stories in the space between the stairs as he pursued the unnatural bird all the way up to the roof. Katie noted that, although he was still dressed in his regular suit, J'onn had reverted back to his natural green color.

"Damn it," Katie murmured, as she charged up the steps, heading for the roof. Katie hoped that the shape-shifting meta, whoever it really was, didn't see J'onn change, or else they'd have a lot of explaining to do.

Once she reached the roof, an out of breath Katie saw J'onn standing there in his regular human form. "He's long gone," he told her.

"You think it was Clayface?" she asked, as she holstered her gun.

He nodded. "None other."

"How did you know? How did you spot him?"

"Matthew Hagen's shape-shifting abilities have greatly improved since we last dealt with him," J'onn said. "But it still takes far more than just changing your shape. For instance, if you're a man pretending to be a woman, you must learn how to walk and carry yourself like a woman. The instant I saw Hagen as the woman, I knew something was off about him. And then he made the further mistake of panicking."

"I'm surprised he didn't just try and attack the entire building, just like the last time he was here."

"Looks like I rattled him badly. It sent him on the run…for now."

"Hey, we should get back downstairs, just in case Hagen decides to try a more blunt approach."

"Way ahead of you, Katie. Let's go."

When they returned to Dawes' office, Katie was pleased to see a cordon of cops surrounded it. She and J'onn had to flash their badges just to get inside.

Dawes was busy working the phones. She waved at them to come inside. Two burly bodyguards stood in the room, watching them carefully.

"We came to give you a report on the murder at Gothika prison," Katie told her. "Matthew Hagen looks very good for it."  
>"And he was just here," J'onn added. "We chased him to the roof, but he changed shape and eluded us."<p>

Dawes hung up the phone and gazed at them with a mixture of fear and horror. "Thank you two very much! Now, I don't mean to be ungrateful, but you both need to report back to the SVU right away."

"Why?" Katie asked with dread. "What just happened?"

"Barbra Gordon, the Commissioner's daughter, has just been abducted by one of the Bat creatures," Dawes said, her voice breaking with emotion.

**B&B**

Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn were exactly where Batman said they would be: cuffed to pipes in the vacated Kick Up Your Heels store. Olivia and the army of uniforms that escorted her had to wade through a greenhouse filled with various exotic plants first. And Olivia couldn't help but notice that many of the more dangerous plants were either dead or dying; no doubt Batman took care of them, just as he had taken care of Ivy and Harley.

"I want my lawyer!" Harley screamed. She sat on the floor with her arms cuffed behind her back to a radiator. "This is entrapment! This is police brutality! And I'm really not in the mood for bondage games right now!"

"SHUT UP!" Olivia shouted at her. "Jesus, you crazy bitch, give it a rest!"

"At least this one's already gagged," Elliot said, grinning, as he pointed to a furious Ivy.

Olivia smiled broadly when she saw the note on the duct tape that was spread over Ivy's mouth: 'be careful; poisoned lipstick.' It had been written in the same block style handwriting that Bruce adapted whenever he wrote anything as the Batman. She was always amazed at the lengths he went to protect his true identity.

Olivia was also very happy that Elliot came along with her on this ride. Alex still wasn't back from her debriefing at the safe house with Francine, where the former head of the STAR Labs was busy divulging everything she knew about the security systems and the layout of the Labs. Lana and Chloe were also there, taking notes for their big girls out, whenever that would take place. And since she really didn't want to just leave Elliot by himself once more. Olivia had suggested that he ride alone with her.

Later, as Olivia drove them back in her squad car, right behind the police wagon that carried Ivy and Harley, she said, "Wouldn't you miss this? All this excitement?"

Elliot, who sat in the passenger seat, looked uneasy. "Maybe. But, this same sort of excitement sometimes forces you to do the most horrendous things…."

'Jesus, he's really broken up about shooting that girl,' Olivia thought. Not that she could really blame him for feeling this way.

"Besides," Elliot added in despair, "this kind of excitement, dealing with the craziness of the job, it's constant and it never ends. There's always more right around the corner. And cops never really get any satisfaction from just dealing with it, you know?"

What he just said had sparked an idea in Olivia's mind. "Elliot, if I weren't driving, I'd kiss you…."

He gave her a puzzled sideways glance. "And how would Alex and Kathy respond to _that_, I wonder?"

"Screw you, Stabler!" Olivia said, as she just burst into laughter. Sitting with him in the car, bantering around like this had brought back some pleasant memories for her of working the streets of New York City with him.

'I've really got to make him reconsider quitting,' she thought, as she pulled the car over and took out her cell phone. 'But, first things first….'

"Who're you calling?" he asked.

"Samantha Spade," she replied. "It's about what you just said, about how cops never get any satisfaction? Well, I'm gonna fix that right now."

**B&B**

Harvey Bullock arrived at police headquarters in a mood that was even more grumpy than usual. When he got the call from Olivia, asking him to come in to police headquarters, he couldn't believe it. For one thing, it was late in the evening, and Harvey was missing a great old boxing match that he had found on ESPN Classic. But Benson said it was very important, and that the entire Major Case Squad would be there. Yet she stopped short of telling him what it was.

"Crazy dame is certainly acting just as goofy as the rest of the top brass," he muttered, as he lumbered into the lobby of police headquarters. He headed for the bank of elevators, to ride one down to central booking, where Benson had told him to go.

When an elevator door finally opened, Harvey stepped inside, only to find Renee standing there. She had a wide-eyed look of surprise on her face. "Hello, Harvey…."

"Hey," he said as he got in with her. They were the only ones in the elevator. "Um, how you doing?"

"Good," she replied. Renee gazed at him with longing, as if she wanted to say more. But she quickly averted her eyes.

Harvey was about to ask Renee if she knew what that crazy dyke Benson was up to…until he realized that Renee was a dyke, and that comment might insult her.

'Lesbian…she's a lesbian,' Harvey corrected himself. 'Sheesh, _now_ what do I say?'

He cast a nervous glance at Renee, and saw that she stared down at the floor with a hurtful expression on her face. And in that instant, he realized that she had mistaken his silence as some kind of a rejection; that he was uncomfortable with her for the wrong reason.

"Oh, for crissakes," Harvey said, as he turned to Renee and held out his arms. "Come here, kiddo…."

Renee burst into tears of joy as she flew into his arms and they hugged each other tightly.

"It don't matter, kiddo," he said gently, as he rubbed her back. "You date whoever the hell you want, I got your back. Because you will always be my partner, you little creep…."

"Oh, Harvey," Renee said, as she was overcome by a further onslaught of tears. "Christine told me that you would be understanding. I should have listened to her."

"Well, yeah, that's right," Harvey said. Then he frowned in confusion. "Hey, um…who the hell's Christine?"

Renee burst into giggles. "My girlfriend, silly. I want you two to meet as soon as possible!"

"Sure thing…." Harvey glanced over to see that the elevator doors had opened, and a tearful Sam stood outside, watching them with a smile.

"The hell you looking at, Spade?" Harvey barked at her.

"A really sweet guy," Sam replied.

"Isn't he?" Renee said, as she gave Harvey a kiss on the cheek.

"All right, now, let's not get carried away with this stuff," Harvey muttered, feeling his face go beet red, as they left the elevator.

He saw the rest of the MCS was assembled in the main hallway of the central booking. Benson stood in the center of the crowd, with her former partner from the NYPD, Stabler, by her side.

Benson held up her hands and said, "Now that the entire MCS is here, I have a little 'welcome back present' for all of you."

She directed their attention at one of the police wagons, and when the back doors opened, Harvey was stunned to see both Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn seated in the back, handcuffed and wearing very scant outfits. Ivy was gagged with duct tape.

"My civil rights are being violated here!" Harley petulantly said.

"Batman caught them," Benson continued, ignoring Quinn. "But I figured it would only be right for the MCS to book them!"

This caused all the MCS officers to erupt into wild cheers, as several of Harvey's fellow officers then hauled the women out of the wagon and over to the booking desk. Harvey had to admit to feeling a grand sense of satisfaction at seeing these two broads having been brought down so low.

"Be careful with Ivy's mouth!" Benson called, as she pulled out her cell phone and answered a call. "Anybody cleaning the poison off be sure to get a sample as evidence, and wear protective gear!"

Then when she turned her attention to the call, Benson's expression went slack with shock, as all the color seemingly drained from her face. Harvey watched as Stabler suddenly grabbed her arm, asking if she was ok. Then Benson, still looking sick, just shook her head.

"Something's wrong," Renee warily said, as she stood watching this scene with Harvey and Sam. "Something really bad."

Benson called out to the rest for their attention. But thanks to the sheer joy they felt at Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn being captured, it was hard to hear her voice over the ruckus.

"EVERYBODY SHUT THE HELL UP!" Harvey roared. He turned to Benson and asked, "What is it?"

"Comissioner Gordon's daugher, Barbra, has just been abducted by the Bat creature," Olivia said, looking ashen. "The entire department has just been put on full alert."

"That includes us, right?" Harvey asked.

"The SVU usually investigates kidnappings," Benson said. "But, tonight, I welcome anybody's help! If any MCS members want to join in, then meet me upstairs in the SVU bullpen."

Harvey glanced at Gary and Joe, who were taking Ivy and Harley through booking. "Youse guys got this covered?"

"Yeah," Joe said with a nod. "Go ahead. We'll join you when we're done!"

"C'mon, let's get up there," Harvey said to Renee and Sam, as they got back in the elevator.

"Little Barbra, in the hands of one of those monsters?" Renee said with horror. "My God!"

"The poor girl," Sam said with a choked sob.

Harvey thought back to the time when Barbra, who was visiting her dad in the office, gave him one of her brownies right out of her school lunch box, without Harvey even asking her. He always thought Barbra was a decent, sweet kid. And Harvey Bullock would be damned if he let anything happen to her now.

"Just hang on, sweetheart," he whispered as they rode up in the elevator. "We're all coming for ya….'

**B&B**

'Sweet Jesus,' Olivia thought, as she stared out at the vast crowd who had assembled in the SVU bullpen. The entire squad of Special Victims Unit detectives were here, including Linda, J'onn, Katie, Mike and Andrea. And then there were the other detectives from the Major Case Squad, from Vice, as well as an army of uniformed cops, including even several cops from the traffic division. Olivia had even fielded calls from Commissioner Henderson from Metropolis and the FBI, stating that they were ready to offer assistance if need be.

It was when she emerged from her office after thanking the local FBI field office on the phone that J'onn met up with her. "Clayface attacked Ms. Dawes tonight," he said, sotto voce. "Or, at least he tried to. But I managed to scare him off."

"Holy shit," Olivia muttered, shocked. She glanced over at Rachel, who was presently on the phone, while surrounded by her own entourage of plainclothes cops. "That explains the extra muscle guarding her tonight."

"We'll need to guard her extra closely from now on," J'onn said. "Clayface can be anyone, anything, and can come out of anyplace."

There was something about this that bothered Olivia. "Clayface kills Turftman, now he's going after Rachel? What's the motive? Revenge?"

"He might have gotten word that Turftman had agreed to work with the DA's office," J'onn offered. "Before the OHMR rendered Gotham City's case against him moot by taking custody of Clayface."

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, that tracks. Look, whatever the motive is, I'd like for you to stay near Rachel, at least for as long as she's here, ok? I don't want us to be caught with our pants down should Hagen make another attempt on her tonight."

J'onn nodded. "It will be my pleasure, Inspector."

When they broke up their conversation, Olivia stared with concern at Jim Gordon, who was frantically leading the briefing on the search for his own daughter with the detectives. Jim's wife was on her way down here, and word was she was hysterical with panic. On one of the monitors, Olivia watched as the home video of poor Babs being abducted from above by the monster was played over and over.

'Oh, you poor, dear baby,' Olivia thought with sorrow. She reached out and gently stroked the little figure of Barbra on the screen. Olivia wanted nothing more than to actually have been there, when that rat-faced bastard grabbed her. She wanted to pull Barbra from its claws and then bash the bastard into a wall for good measure. Yet she found herself just standing around here, hoping against hope that Barbra was still alive. Olivia never felt more helpless than she did right now.

She was about to walk over to Alex, who stood with Elliot, Chloe and Lana, when her cell phone began to vibrate. She instantly knew who it was from: the one person in Gotham City whom everybody, including Gordon, had been asking her about.

"I need you to do something for me," Batman said. "Something big. Robin is driving into the city in the Tumbler. Meet with him in the alley at Charleston Ave. Bring Chloe with you. Can you do it?"

"Yes." Olivia was flooded with relief as she nodded in understanding. "You're hitting STAR Labs right now?"

"No, Liv, you are, along with Chloe and Robin. Robin's in charge. I want you to watch the team's back. Find out what you can, and relay whatever you find immediately to me and Jim Gordon."

"Where will you be?"

"Hunting down the Bat creature. This ends tonight." He then switched off.

"Wouldn't want to be that hairy son of a bitch right now," Olivia thought with satisfaction.

She walked over to Alex, Chloe and Lana and told them what Batman just told her. Elliot had fortunately taken that moment to step away for a coffee. Chloe looked especially eager to get going. She had been worried sick over Barbra's wellbeing. "Meet me in the hallway outside the bullpen," Olivia told Chloe. "And bring whatever you need for…you know…."

Chloe patted her computer case. "Already got it. Meet you outside."

Olivia then walked over to Gordon and said, "I've heard from our mutual friend, sir."

"You did?" Gordon never looked happier. "What did Batman say?"

"He's personally going after the Bat creature now," Olivia replied.

Once she said this, the whole room exploded into cheers and applause.

"Break out the popcorn, gang," Harvey Bullock crowed. "Because we're about to see the Bat creature join the extinct species list!"

But Gordon stared warily at Olivia, knowing she had more to say. "What is it, Liv?"

"The Batman wants me to go and help him personally with something," Olivia told him.

She struggled to find a way how to explain what she needed to do, which was break into STAR Labs, without giving anything away. But Olivia was surprised when Gordon just said, "Fine. Go."

"See you when I see you, sir," Olivia told Gordon. "If we find out anything, we'll let you know right away."

"Godspeed, Liv," Gordon told her.

She walked past Alex, who quickly squeezed her hand. "Be careful."

"Always, hon." She pulled her lover into a quick hug and a kiss. Then Olivia retrieved her personal items from her office and was about to leave the bullpen when she heard her name being called.

Olivia turned to see Elliot was about to join her when both Alex and Lana grabbed him. "Wait, what's going on?" he asked. "Where're you going?"

"To help Batman to find Barbara Gordon," she said.

Elliot nodded. "Great. I'm coming with you."

Olivia shook her head, wondering how the hell was she going to explain that she was about to help Barbra by committing an illegal act. Instead, she just shook her head and said, "Not on this one, El. Sorry. If we find out anything, I'll call here with the info right away."

Alex tried to pull Elliot back, but he shook her off. "Whoa. What exactly is Batman having you do, here?"

Olivia turned to him and whispered, "Anything and everything we can. Now, excuse me, I gotta go."

She left a concerned Elliot in the bullpen and joined Chloe in the hallway. "C'mon this way," she told Chloe. "We're meeting Robin on Charleston Ave. That's the alleyway on the North side of the building."

"Batman's decided on a two-pronged attack?" she asked, as they walked briskly down the hallway.

"Yeah, he's determined to end this Bat creature madness tonight," Olivia said.

"Can't say I blame him."

When they emerged into the dimly lit alley, which was still wet and slick from the recent rain, Chloe nervously grabbed Olivia's arm and said, "Uh, I hope you're armed, because there's something really big and dark moving down there!"

"Relax, hon," Olivia said when she saw the familiar shape of the Tumbler silently glide towards them. "Our ride's here."  
>The cockpit opened and Robin nodded at them. "Good evening, ladies. Ready for a little B&amp;E?"<p>

"I'd be more ready if I had the-" Olivia started to say, until she saw the large suitcase on the passenger floor. "Is that what I think it is?"

Robin nodded again as she and Chloe got inside. He closed the cockpit. "Alfred packed it for you. You've got your own bag, Chloe. You guys also have your own blocker discs packed as well."

"God bless Alfred," Olivia muttered, as she handed Chloe her own suitcase. Olivia opened the case and saw the Huntress outfit. She had sworn that she would not wear this outfit, except for an extreme emergency. And this case certainly qualified as an emergency.

"Ooo, nice," Chloe said with a grin, as she admired the black bulletproof vest that Alfred had packed for her. "Just my size, too! How does Alfred do it?"

"Has a lot of experience in this sort of thing," Olivia said. She got busy dressing into the Huntress outfit. "Thinks of every conceivable situation, and packs the right equipment for you to deal with it."  
>"Can he pack something up for Lana and me to put Luthor behind bars once and for all?" Chloe jokingly asked.<p>

Olivia was about to reply with a witty comment, but something caught her eye. A large, black shape flew over them in the night sky. It flitted by so fast that Olivia wasn't even sure if she had really seen it.

"What is it?" Robin asked.

"Thought I saw a bat-like shape in the air. Probably nothing."

"Or probably the Bat creature flying towards a fight with the Batman," Robin said.

"In that case, good hunting to him," Chloe said. She had stripped down to her undershirt so she could put on the vest. "Um…good hunting to the Batman, I mean."

"We here go, ladies!" Robin called. "STAR Labs, directly ahead!"

Olivia had just pulled on the Huntress mask and stared at herself in the mirror above the windshield.

"Good hunting to us all," she murmured.

**B&B**

Batman had parked the Prowler on the roof of the Vermeer building and walked to the center space, which had the most room. Although the building was empty for the night, he had still barred the doors to the stairwells, so as to avoid any innocents walking in on his clash with the Bat creature.

Batman then bent down and pressed a button that opened a secret compartment on the sole of his right boot. He then started the mini signal device that he had installed there many years ago. It emitted an artificially created wail that only bats could hear. The last time he used it was in the Narrows, when Rachel was afflicted by the Scarecrow's venom and was about to die a violent death. Batman had used the armada of bats that had responded as cover so he could get Rachel to the safety of the Batcave. Jim had helped him; he was still just a sergeant then.

'The memories of days gone by,' Batman mused, as he waited for an answer to the signal that now emitted from his boot. He hoped it wouldn't be ordinary bats who replied this time; just the one big bastard he wanted.

After thinking about saving Rachel's life, he couldn't help but reflect back to the early days. 'You would think, after all this hard struggle, that it would be much easier now….'

Just when he began to wonder if the signaling device still worked, Batman heard a loud, angry screech in the night sky.

He glanced up to see the Bat creature, as it let out a roar of defiance and swept back its wings so it could go into a dive bomb attack run that was aimed right at him.

Batman remained calm and composed right where he was as he took a deep, steady breath and readied himself for combat.

Finally, the battle had begun.

And the Dark Knight was more than ready.

**To Be Continued...**


	10. Chapter 10

_My thanks to Stargaze29 and Methos2523 for their kind words of encouragement._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Ten**

The Bat creature let out a horrendous screech as it dived down right at Batman. But the Dark Knight ignored what was so obviously a scare tactic on the monster's part and kept himself calm as he quickly analyzed the situation.

In the few seconds that it took for the Bat creature to dive down at him, Batman had sized up his opponent, and realized that it was about to rip him to shreds with the razor-sharp talons on its feet. And so Batman did the most logical thing he could do.

He ducked down, as if cringing in fear. This immediately emboldened the creature, as it dived down further for what would surely be a killing blow. Yet by making it dive lower in its attack vector, Batman had caused the creature to make a fatal mistake.

It was now completely within reach of Batman's grasp.

Just when it was right on top of him, Batman reached up at the last minute and grabbed both of the creature's feet, catching it in mid flight. The monster let out a petulant roar, as it now backed up and flapped its wings harder in an attempt to lift Batman up into the night sky.

But Batman instead pulled down as hard as he could, using all of his weight, and he brought the flailing monster down to the roof with a satisfying crunch. The creature's head actually bounced off of the hard asphalt.

Not giving it a moment to rally itself, Batman then stood up and bashed the monster in the face with a solid kick. He moved in to kick it again, but the creature forcefully shoved him backward with a sweep of one of its wings. Batman had collided into a skylight. The steel mesh cage over the glass had prevented him from crashing through to the floor below.

The creature let out another wild roar as it flung itself at the Batman.

Batman was grateful for having chosen to wear the armored Batsuit this evening, for he felt several slashes by the creature on his armored body as they were both joined in a bizarre embrace.

Staring face to face with the monster, whose vile breath washed all over him, Batman suspicions were confirmed that this was nothing more than an animal. Trying to get it to talk would be a waste of time. He would have to resort to a more primal tactic.

The creature was momentarily stunned when Batman landed a vicious punch right across its ugly face. Batman punched it again, startling the monster backwards just enough for the Dark Knight to kick it in the stomach.

The monster then glared at Batman and let loose a roar that was filled with rage.

"You're not fighting a little girl this time, Skippy," Batman snarled. "You want a brawl?" He raised out his arms. "COME AND GET IT!"

The incensed monster flung itself at the Batman.

Just as the Batman attacked with a full-on combat charge.

They collided and fell to the roof in a tangle of fists and fur.

**B&B**

The Sky-Ten news helicopter had been airborne for nearly an hour over Gotham City. It's normal job was to provide rush hour coverage of the highways and streets for the tens of thousands of people who commuted into this major urban center for work on a daily basis. But it was airborne several hours early tonight.

Since the Bat creature attacks had begun, the "sky team" had been further tasked with finding the monster and hopefully capturing it on video. This was a job that was met with a great deal of nervousness on the part of Lewis, the "sky team" producer, who saw this new task of finding the Bat creature akin to going for a swim in shark-infested waters.

Yet night after night, they went up and encountered nothing. The lack of any Bat creature sightings made Lewis wonder if the big flying bastard was nothing more than an urban myth; just Gotham City's answer to Bigfoot.

And so it was with a great deal of disbelief when Lewis glanced down at the Vermeer Building and saw what oddly looked like the Bat creature hugging somebody. Then Lewis flinched when he saw the monster get punched in the face by none other than the Batman himself. And there was only one thing that Lewis could say to this sight.

"HOLY SHIT!"

"What?" Teddy, his pilot, said in a panic. "What the hell's wrong?"

"Starboard!" Lewis screeched at him. "Look starboard, at the roof of the Vermeer building, now!"

"Sweet Jesus," Teddy whispered, once he saw the full-on battle below them. "Switching on cameras, now."

Lewis nodded in satisfaction when he saw the fight on the console monitors. "Keep this bitch hovering right over them!"

"Like I would do anything else," Teddy said. He shook his head and let out a low whistle at the ferocious brawl below them. "Jesus, I've seen some weird shit while flying in the Army, but this really takes the cake!"

"This'll get us an Emmy for sure!" Lewis excitedly said, as he called the station to let them know they had to go live on the air right now.

**B&B**

"There we are," Holly said, as she poured Selena another cup of tea.

Selena smiled at the extra sweet manner in which her good friend and ally had treated her. Ever since Selena had returned, licking her wounds at almost having been the play toy in the psycho-sexual bed games between Harley and Ivy, Holly had gone into full Florence Nightingale mode.

Holly had insisted on running her a hot bath, but Selena declined, instead settling in for a quiet evening at home in just her kimono. Holly then served her tea and cookies as she listened sympathetically to Selena's tale of woe.

"It's this damned city," Holly said, once Selena was finished. "Every time we try to pull a job here, something bad happens. I was kidnapped last time; this time, it was your turn. We should just write off the damned diamonds, pack our packs and hightail it out of here."

"Maybe you're right," Selena admitted with a sigh. "Gotham City's become really weird, lately."

Holly just gave her an annoyed look. "What do you mean, it's 'become weird'? It's _always_ been a weird place, Selena. It's bad enough Batman's always lurking around, breathing down our necks. But, with that Bat creature now flying around, this place has become a real freak show!"

'The Bat creature,' Selena thought with anger. It seemed her misfortunes in Gotham City started on that first night, when the Bat creature attacked her on that rooftop. 'Oh, never mind,' Selena thought, as she took a deep breath to relax herself. 'No sense crying over spilt milk….'

A despondent Selena was about to call it a night just then when something on Holly's laptop caught her eye. 'Speak of the devils,' she thought, as she watched footage of Batman fighting the Bat creature. 'There they both are!'

"Is that live?" Selena asked, as she grabbed Holly's laptop and enlarged the image. Sure enough, it was a live feed from the local news affiliate. This battle was happening right now, right on top of the Vermeer building. "Son of a bitch, that's right down the block…."

"Selena, wait, where are you going?" Holly said with a moan. "I thought we were leaving Gotham City!"

"We are," Selena called, as she stood in the bedroom. She stripped off the kimono and put the Catwoman suit back on. "Right after I give the Batman a hand with that Bat monster thing."

"Oh, come on, Selena!" Holly whined. She stood in the doorway of the bedroom. "When are you going to realize that you're not some kind of a superhero?"

"Batman saved my life tonight, so I owe him big," Selena told her. "Besides, that Bat creature prevented me from getting the diamonds when it attacked me for no good reason. So, if nothing else, I owe that rat-faced scumbag a good beating!"

**B&B**

Alex nervously waited for news in the Special Victims Unit bullpen beside Rachel, Lana and Elliot. They sat in the waiting area, a space normally reserved for people waiting to speak with a detective. As they scanned the news on the TV, Alex was puzzled when she saw J'onn take a seat with them. J'onn didn't sit facing them, instead he sat facing the crowd of police who were busy working their leads in the bullpen.

"He's my personal bodyguard," Rachel whispered to Alex. "He and Katie stopped Clayface from attacking me earlier today. And when I asked why he wasn't working with the other detectives, J'onn told me Liv ordered him to keep watch over me. Apparently, he has an ability at spotting shape shifters, being one himself."

"Clayface attacked you today?" Alex asked with horror. "Jesus, Rachel, why didn't you say something?"

"Given what has happened since." Rachel gestured at a photo of the missing Barbra Gordon that appeared on the TV.

"My problems are small potatoes. Besides, between J'onn and my own security, I'm well protected."

When Elliot abruptly glanced over at them, they both stopped talking. "Just shop talk," Alex informed him.

"Eh, you lawyers," Elliot jokingly said. "How you can still talk shop while the world is coming to an end is beyond-"

"THEY'RE FIGHTING!" Katie screamed, as she frantically ran into the SVU bullpen. She had left to use the rest room. Now she held up her iPhone and pointed at it. "Batman and the Bat creature! They're fighting on the Vermeer Building! Switch to Eye On Goth News!"

Gordon and the cadre of detectives switched over to Eye On Goth News on the main monitors, while Alex did the same with the smaller TV in their private cubbyhole. Her eyes grew fearfully wide behind her glasses as she watched the brutal battle between the Batman and the Bat monster. The fight was atop the Vermeer Building, and it was being covered by a news helicopter.

"I was just searching for any news about Batman on my phone," Katie said. "And the results came up with this!"

"It must have just started," J'onn said.

"OH!" Elliot shouted, as they watched Batman deliver what should have been a knock-out blow right to the face of the monster. The creature let out an angry roar as it clawed Batman in the chest. The Batman then kicked it away from him. There was a brief pause, as the unnatural combatants warily circled each other, then they resumed their intense battle once more.

"I need to speak with you!" Rachel suddenly said to J'onn.

Alex got up and followed them as they went into Olivia's unused office. The bullpen kept erupting with uproarious cheers from the assembly of cops every time they watched Batman land a punch to the creature.

The only people who watched the fight solemnly were Jim Gordon and his wife, who stood clutching each other pensively.

"Is Barbra there?" Jim's wife pleaded. "Do you see her?"

Jim comforted her as best he could. But the truth was, Alex couldn't see where Barbra was in the images being shown. She hoped Barbra was nearby, and that this fight, as savage as it was, would lead to her being rescued.

Alex heard Rachel shouting at the top of her lungs from Olivia's office, which had its door left ajar. She entered and closed the door behind her, checking the blinds in the windows, satisfied that they were all drawn. They now had complete privacy.

"Inspector Benson's orders were quite explicit," J'onn said. "She wanted me to remain here and protect you."

"I am the District Attorney!" Rachel cried at J'onn. "I am _ordering_ you to go and help the Batman!"

"I must respectfully refuse your order," J'onn said calmly. "You may punish me as you see fit, of course. But, until the danger to you from Clayface is over, I am staying here with you."

Rachel burst into tears. "They say you're more powerful than even Superman! You could stop this fight! But you won't! You won't even lift a finger to help Batman!"

"I _am_ helping Batman," J'onn said softly, "by protecting you."

Rachel just shook her head and cried into her hands.

Alex came over and hugged Rachel tightly. "I can't watch, Alex," Rachel sobbed into her shoulder. "I can't watch him fighting that monster! I hate seeing him get hurt!"

"I know," Alex said in a soothing tone. "Let's just stay here for a while, ok?"

Rachel shook her head as she gently broke their hug. "No, it's all right. I'm fine, now. I really should be out there for the Gordons, in case they need me." She appeared to compose herself as she wiped her tears with a tissue given to her by J'onn. "Thank you. Oh, and Detective? I apologize for my outburst."

"No need to, ma'am," he said. "I understand."

When they emerged into the bullpen with a newly fortified Rachel, the battle was still going on the screens, and the multitudes of cops were still cheering on the Batman like they were all watching a football game.

Elliot came up to her and said, "Can we talk? Alone?"

Alex just nodded in puzzlement as she led him back into Olivia's empty office.

Once he shut the door, Elliot said, "Where's Liv?"

"What do you mean? You know where she is, she's off helping the Batman."

"I see the Batman beating the shit out of that monster, and more power to him," Elliot said. "But I don't see Liv anywhere nearby. I don't like it. Where is she?"

"Actually, the fact that you can't see Liv is good, Elliot!" Alex said. "I hope she's nowhere near that battle!"

"So she's just helping him on the sidelines?" Elliot asked. "I mean, it's not like she's dressing up in a weird costume, and running around, fighting crime with him, right?"

Alex momentarily had an image of Olivia in her Huntress outfit, and that caused her to hesitate slightly in her response.

Yet that was all Elliot needed. "Dear God, Alex," he said in a shocked whisper. "Don't you dare tell me that she's actually running out on the streets with him, personally fighting Batman's crazy war on crime!"

A flash of anger ignited within Alex just then. "I'm just as worried sick about her as you are right now, trust me. But it's not a crazy war that Batman is fighting here. He's been trying to save Gotham City by pulling it back from the abyss that it's been sliding into. It's not easy. And he's not the only one who's fighting this war, we all are in our own way. That includes Liv and me."

Elliot shook his head with amazement. "If Liv has a tip that could lead to this kid being rescued, why not work it through her own SVU squad?"

"Because getting this tip requires that she do something illegal. And it's best if she worked uncover for now."

"I don't believe this!"

"You don't believe what, Elliot?"

"The lengths that you people would go, just to save this cesspool of a city! You're going far beyond the pale of what's legal, risking your careers, your very lives? You're now working in open defiance of the government, Alex! All for what?"

"I recently helped a family named the Powells," Alex said quietly. "They came to Gotham City with their two kids, seeking sanctuary, because they were being hunted like animals by the OHMR. They all have powers, Elliot. They gained them through a freak accident in the Amazon jungle, where their plane crashed. They didn't _ask_ to be super powered. And they sure as hell didn't want to flee from their home in California like fugitives. But that was the card that was dealt them.

"What am I risking my life and career for, Elliot?" Alex continued. "It's for people like the Powells, who have done nothing wrong, but who are being hunted simply because some asshole somewhere decides that metas are evil people."

"But Batman has now sucked you and Liv into a far larger battle," Elliot said.

"It's the same battle, Elliot. Batman has always been about fighting evil, no matter what shape it takes or what mask it hides behind. And he's inspired so many other decent people here in Gotham City to do the same. We didn't stop fighting when Cadmus came after us, and we're as sure as hell not going to stop now."

"But it's a lost cause, Alex! Both you and Liv are throwing your lives away on a lost cause!"

Alex just shook her head sadly. "Look, I'm really sorry you had to shoot that girl, Elliot. I truly am. But she _was_ shooting up the SVU, she just killed Sister Peg; have you ever considered how many more lives you probably saved when you did shoot her?"

He angrily pointed at her. "That has nothing to do with anything, here!"

"Bullshit!" Alex shouted back at him. "You may have given up on yourself and the rest of the world because you had to shoot that little girl, but there's another little girl out there right now who needs our help! So, by all means, stay here and drown in your bitterness all you want, but I'm going out to see what I can do to help Barbra Gordon…just like what Batman and Olivia are doing this instant. Now, if you'll excuse me."

She left Elliot standing alone in the office, staring broodingly at the floor.

**B&B**

Robin had pulled the Tumbler into an alleyway by the side of STAR Labs. Once he turned off the engine and popped the cockpit roof, Chloe let out a sigh as she said, "Here we go again."

Olivia glanced at her with concern. "You ok?"

Chloe nodded. Clad in a completely black outfit with a black, pull-down hat, she gave Olivia and Robin one a nervous smile. "This was where Batman parked when we last stormed this place. I keep breaking in here so many times, they ought to just give me a key."

"Stay close to Huntress the whole time," Robin told her.

When he glanced questioningly at Olivia, she nodded. "I got her back, Robin. We ready?"

"Blocker discs on?" Robin asked.

"Check," Olivia said with a glance at the disc on her belt.

"Yep, mine's running," Chloe confirmed.

"Then let me open the door for you guys," Robin said, as he fired a grapple line up to the third floor of the STAR Labs building. Once there, he gained access inside through a ventilation grate.

"C'mon, we should be right outside waiting when he opens it," Olivia told Chloe.

They climbed out of the Tumbler, which automatically sealed itself up, and ran over to the large metal door. Olivia glanced up at the security camera that peered down at them and hoped that these blocker discs still worked. They should be, because their own comms were down thanks to the wide spread jamming.

When the door opened, Olivia instinctively placed her hand on the baton in the holster on her hip, just in case it was somebody other than Robin.

But she and Chloe were relieved to see that it was Robin after all.

"Place looks deserted," he said, as they entered the building. "I think we can risk taking the elevator."

Once they got into the elevator, Olivia hit the button for the top floor, which was where the office of Dr. Neville Charger was located. Francine had told Chloe and Lana that any top secret files concerning STAR Labs would be kept in the administrator's safe in his office. Francine had even given them the code word that would unlock the safe, yet she warned that this code may well have been changed in the time that she had been driven into hiding.

"What if we get an unwanted reception when the doors open?" Chloe nervously asked as they rode up in the elevator.

"Leave them to me," Robin said. "Hopefully, we'll be in and out before anybody notices anything."

Olivia pointed at the surveillance camera in the elevator. "The security office will notice these cameras are out. That might sound the alarm."

"One problem at a time, Huntress." Robin gave Chloe a double take. "Too bad you don't have a mask…."

When Olivia stared at Chloe's hat, which hugged the top of her head, something occurred to her. "Alfred packed that hat, too, didn't he?"

Chloe nodded. "Yes. And it fits perfectly. Why?"

"Pull it down over your face," Olivia told her.

"But then I won't see!"

"Just do it, please, Chloe."

Chloe pulled down the hat over her face, and she let out an excited squeak at the pair of eye holes that had been expertly cut out for her to see. "This is so amazing! I have a mask!"

"God bless you, Alfred," Olivia murmured with a smile. "Always thinking of every last detail…."

"Here we go," Robin said, when the elevator slowed to a halt.

Olivia braced herself for anything when the doors opened with a binging sound. Yet there was nothing there. Robin entered the hallway and made a visual sweep. Then he nodded and gestured for the women to come out.

It was a simple matter of finding Charger's office, for it was the largest, most elaborate one on the administrative floor.

"You two go in," Robin told them. "I'll keep watch out here."

Olivia was about to ask if he could use back up, but she realized there was no time to dawdle. Every wasted moment was another moment that poor Barbra remained in the hands of her captor. The safe was located under a small table that stood up against the wall behind Charger's desk.

Chloe started taking out her tablet computer in an effort to break the lock when Olivia stopped her. "Wait, let's just try the password, first."

Nodding, Chloe bent down and typed in the password that Francine gave them: Araxes. To her surprise, the safe door swung open, exposing several paper files and one flash drive.

"The dopey bastard never changed the password," Olivia muttered in amusement. "Hell, even _I _change the password on my laptop every few months or so…."

Chloe pulled out the items and placed them on the desk, which was loaded with a large collection of action figures. 'The new guy running STAR Labs is a major geek,' Olivia thought, as she thumbed through the physical folders. There was nothing in the folders that pertained to any experimental bat program. "Can't find anything here," she said. "It's just financial reports for the overall facility."

"Maybe what we want will be on the digital files," Chloe replied. She was busy loading the contents of the flash drive onto her tablet. "I hope!"

Robin entered the office. "We may have company coming. How's it going?"

"Found a flash drive in the safe," Chloe told him. "Downloading it now."

Robin looked impressed. "Great news! I thought you'd still be trying to crack the safe open."

"Charger never changed the damn password," an incredulous Olivia said. "In this day and age, you'd think he'd be a little more security-minded, you know?"

"Huntress, stop acting like a cop for five minutes, ok?" Robin said with exasperation. "I mean, we _are_ here illegally, remember?"

"Uh, yeah, sorry," Olivia sheepishly said. "Can't help it…."

"There's someone coming up one of the elevators," Robin reported. "It might just be a regular security sweep, or they might be coming to check on the faulty cameras up here. How long do we have on the download?"

"Done now," Chloe said, as she closed down her tablet and placed everything back into the safe.

"Then let's go," Robin said, "down the steps."

They entered the stairwell just as Olivia heard the elevator doors ding. They flew down the steps, all the way to the bottom, until Robin stopped them with a wave of his hand. After he warily checked outside the door, he waved them onward.

Olivia let out a sigh of relief once they were back inside the Tumbler. Robin sealed up the cockpit and revved up the engine just as the side door to STAR Labs flew open. Olivia cheerily waved at the angry security guards, knowing full well that they could not see her through the opaque thick glass of the Tumbler.

Chloe sat looking over the data she had downloaded on her tablet computer. Olivia smiled when she saw Chloe still had her black mask down over her face, which gave her the extremely weird look of a petite executioner who sat with her knees up to her chest, checking messages on her computer.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Chloe said absently, as Olivia pulled the mask off of her head in one movement. Chloe was still transfixed on the screen. "I got something! There's a folder here regarding a program that was begun at STAR Labs called Night Flier."

"That has to be it," Robin said.

When Chloe opened the folder, and did a quick read, she shook her head dismally. "The program was started at STAR Labs. But then it was moved to what they called 'Site B'."

"Great," Olivia said. "Where's this Site B?"

"It doesn't say," Chloe said. She double-checked the files, then shook her head again. "There's no other mention of it anywhere. But there's still plenty in there about how the program got started, and how Dr. Kirkland is being used a lab rat. It says that he's being held at this Site B. I just wish they'd tell us where it is!"

"Can I have a look?" Olivia asked.

When Chloe handed her the tablet, Olivia speed-read over the Night Flier file as quickly as she could. There was one term that stuck out like a sore thumb. "The Suicide Squad?"

Robin glanced sharply at her. "What's that?"

As Olivia read that section of the file in detail, a chill began to climb up her spine. "It says here that the Suicide Squad was a group of soldiers who each volunteered to be turned into the Bat creature! They were called the Suicide Squad because of the extremely dangerous nature of the tests! Jesus, what the hell were these guys trying to do, create an army of these monsters? That's a scary thought!"

"I've got an even scarier thought, Liv," Robin solemnly said.

"What could _that _possibly be?"

"What if they succeeded?"

The somber silence in the Tumbler that followed was interrupted by an anxious Chloe, who fearfully said, "Um, can we just go home now? Because I just want to spend the rest of the night hiding under the covers…."

"Wait a minute," Olivia said, as she consulted Chloe's tablet computer once more. An idea had occurred to her. It was a long shot, but what the hell….

"What?" Robin tersely asked.

"I'm just checking up on more references to this Suicide Squad," Olivia muttered. She shook her head when she fumbled at the tablet computer, which had an operating system she was unused to. "Damn it, you kids today and your weird computers…."

"Here, allow me," Chloe offered. She took the tablet from Olivia. "What do you need?"

"A search for the term 'Suicide Squad', " Olivia replied. "Try and find a base, or a hideout that they might be using."

"That would also be where they're running this Night Flier project!" Robin said with a nod. "Liv, you're a genius!"

"Don't thank me yet," Olivia told him.

"No, you _can_ thank her," Chloe cut in, as she smiled down at her computer. "Neville Charger's own notes say here that the Suicide Squad is based in a warehouse just outside Gotham City limits, in Willow Hills. I even have the full address."

"It might still be a dead end," Olivia warned.

"Which is why we're going to go check it out right now," Robin said. He pulled the Tumbler into a tight turn and took River View Drive, which would take them directly to the Willow Hills area. "You want to let Batman know what we've found, Huntress?"

As Olivia started to call the Dark Knight over the comm, Chloe just switched off her tablet and cheerfully said, "So much for spending a night hiding under the covers. Just as well…wouldn't want to miss all the fun, anyway!"

**B&B**

The Bat creature charged Batman once more, but the Dark Knight was ready for this assault. The creature, being simple-minded, was very predictable in its combat tactics. Once it attacked, Batman sidestepped it, and as the monster swept past him, he bashed it on the head with both fists clenched together.

This sent the monster straight to the roof once more, and it momentarily lay there, dazed. Batman took this moment to grab a homing beacon from his utility belt. When he clamped it onto the tip of one of the creature's leathery wings, the monster stirred up in an agitated mood once more.

Yet instead of attacking Batman again, the Bat creature took flight into the night sky, heading west.

"Good boy," Batman muttered, as he ran towards the parked prowler. "Run along home, and show me exactly where you live."

Once he was back in the pilot's seat, Batman sealed up the Prowler and took flight, following the homing beacon that he had placed on the monster. It was still headed west, in a direct line out of the city.

Huntress came on the comm, and she informed him of a possible site where a STAR Labs project called Night Flier might be set up: at a warehouse in the Willow Hills district. She said they were headed over there to check it out.

"I placed a homing beacon on our flying friend," Batman told her. "He's leading me pretty much on a direct route to the Willow Hills area right now."

"If we should run into each other, then we'll know for sure that that's the place," Huntress said.

"Once you get confirmation, call Jim Gordon immediately," Batman ordered. "Let him know the address. Don't wait for me."

"Got it. One other thing," Huntress added, "we found this place in the info regarding a group of soldiers called the Suicide Squad. Apparently they were so named because they all volunteered to be turned into this creature! Just thought I should give you a heads up."

"I'm expecting to meet a lot more than just the creature when I arrive," Batman said. "But thanks anyway, Huntress. Hope to see you soon."

After the call ended, Batman nursed some pretty dark musings over why a man would allow himself to be turned into this creature. He understood that the monster he had been fighting was a scientist named Kirkland who had undergone the trasformation out of sheer desperation, which he could almost understand. Having Waller looming over you with her veiled threats would be enough to drive any rational man to do irrational things.

But to actually volunteer to be turned into this monster required a pretty hard core mindset. Batman had suspected that many of the die-hard fanatics in Cadmus who were responsible for the Meta prison camp horrors had escaped justice. And the very existence of a project like Night Flier only proved that these fanatics were not only still active, but were operating under the protection of some very powerful people in the government.

When Batman arrived at an unlit warehouse complex on a dead end street in Willow Hills, he just knew it was the place. Sure enough, he saw the Bat creature fly into an opening in the upper part of the wall that instantly sealed itself up a moment later.

Infra-red showed no warm bodies outside, but there would be plenty of surveilance equipment. Switching on his blocker disc, he commanded the Prowler to hover off the deck at six feet behind the cover of the nearby woods. He opened the cockpit and was about to jump out when a sudden movement on the hull of the Prowler caught his attention.

He was stunned to see that it was Catwoman. She let out a sigh as she released her whip from the rear vertical tail. "You ought to have more hooks or handles on this thing," she told him. "You realize how hard it was for me to hold on? And you were flying pretty high, too!"

"What the hell are you doing here?" Batman snarled at her.

"Settling a score," she coolly replied.

"I could have turned you in at Harley and Ivy's," Batman said. "But I didn't."

"You're not the one I'm gunning for, honey," she said. "It's that overgrown rodent."

Before Batman could reply, she jumped to the ground.

And once she landed, the entire area was suddenly lit up by large exterior lights that surrounded the perimeter.

"Damn it," Batman muttered, as he jumped down to the ground beside her. "You could have waited until I was sure it was safe. But no, now they're on the alert."

Catwoman laughed. "What're they gonna do, send out the same creature whom you've just been using as a punching bag?" She raised her hands in a sarcastic manner. "Oh, I'm so scared!"

When he heard the familiar screeching sound, Batman glanced up at one of the trees and saw the Bat creature. It glared at them as it hung upside-down with its arms outstretched.

'Odd,' Batman thought. 'He doesn't look any worse for wear…his healing properties must be very-'

Batman's thoughts were cut off when he heard another shriek in the opposite direction. He glanced in that direction and saw another Bat creature that hung from a second tree.

When Catwoman quickly tapped him on the shoulder, Batman glanced at a third creature whom she pointed out. This one was crawling along on the ground as it snarled at them.

"Oh, great, there's even more of them," Catwoman said in a small voice, as Batman pointed out five more Bat creatures in the trees around them.

"Well, well," Batman murmured, as he and Catwoman were now surrounded by no less than eight Bat creatures. "This is an interesting development."

Catwoman backed up against his back and pulled her whip loose. "I've gotta hand to you, Batman," she said breathlessly, "there's never a dull moment whenever you're around…."

**To Be Continued...**


	11. Chapter 11

_My thanks to stargaze29 for the kind comments, as always._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Eleven**

James Varlis was awakened by his butler, who had apologized profusely for the interruption, but reminded the Senator that he did leave instructions to be notified immediately if anything 'big' happened in Gotham City.

"Something big is happening right now, sir," Rodger, his butler, said, as he prepped a laptop computer on the table by the door for Varlis. "Batman is fighting with a Bat creature on the roof of the Vermeer Building. And Barbra Gordon, the daughter of the Gotham City police commissioner, has been abducted by the creature."

"Do they know this for a fact?" Varlis asked, as he got out of bed.

"There's cell camera footage of her being grabbed by the creature," Rodger replied. He went and turned on the TV for his employer. Then he pointed to the laptop. "The footage of Barbra Gordon's abduction is all keyed up for you, sir."

Rodger left Varlis in private to watch the battle as he quickly got dressed. He watched with disgust as Batman fought the Bat creature to a standstill. Varlis now understood why this battle had taken place; Flagg had pushed the Batman too far by allowing one of the creatures to abduct the daughter of one of his closest allies. He also realized that this rooftop battle effectively marked the demise of the Night Flier project. He had allowed this insanity to go way too far already.

Varlis then watched the video of the young Gordon woman as she was carried off into the night sky on his laptop. He shook his head. That was indeed the straw that broke the camel's back. The Night Flier Project was done, as of right now. These monsters were just too out of control; there was no way to know what they were going to do once they left the Site B facility. And there was no way to improve upon the serum beyond the barely intelligible creatures that resulted from the original Suicide Squad volunteers.

He was about to call Braddock, to tell him to suspend all flight operations immediately, when something caught his eye. Varlis saw on the live news feed on the TV the Batman placing something on the wing of the downed creature. When the monster got up and flew off, the Batman just stepped back and let it go. Then he ran over to his own black plane. In their haste to try and follow the Batman, the news chopper team lost sight of the creature. And then they lost sight of the Batman as well.

But Varlis realized that the Batman still had the creature within his sights. He had placed a homing beacon on the creature, which was why he allowed it to leave. The dumb beast would fly straight back home, and it would lead the Batman straight to the location of Site B.

Yet before he could warn Braddock, Varlis was surprised to see a call come in for him on his private line. He checked the ID and was further stunned to see that it was Colonel Greenway, the commanding officer of McHenry Air Force Base. He had a close personal friendship with the airbase commander, who had kept up a steady barrage of Gotham City with his jets in an effort to flush out the Batman.

He picked up the phone. "Yes, Colonel."

"Senator," Greenway said. "I am pleased to report that we are finally tracking the Batman tonight. The Batman has engaged the Bat creature in battle on top of-"

"Yes, I know about the battle, Colonel," Varlis said curtly. "How are you tracking the Batman? I thought his plane had stealth."

"It does, sir. But we strongly believe that Batman is presently in pursuit of the Bat creature," Greenway reported. "And the Bat creature _doesn't_ have stealth. We can read that beast loud and clear on radar, sir. And wherever it should land, a pair of F-35s, along with a strike team aboard three Blackhawks, will be right on top of it."

Varlis almost had a heart attack the instant he realized that the Bat creature was being tracked back home not only by Batman, but by the damned Air Force to boot. "Cease all anti-Batman operations immediately, Colonel."

Greenway paused for a moment. "Did I hear you correctly, sir?"

"You heard me just fine, Colonel. I said shut down all anti-Batman ops, right now. And McHenry is to cease _all _such operations until further notice. Am I clear?"

"Yes sir," Greenway said. His tone indicated that he wasn't happy with these new orders, but there wasn't much he could do about that. "I'm giving the shut down order now, sir."

Varlis hung up on him, only to see that he received another incoming call, this time from Braddock. 'Saved me the trouble of calling him,' Varlis thought, as he accepted the call. "Where are you?"

"On my way to Site B with some of the boys," Braddock said. "We saw what happened with the Gordon kid and we're going over there to shut everything down and assess the situation. I'll give you a sitrep as soon as-"

"Batman is coming," Varlis told him. "He's following one of the creatures directly back to Site B right now."

"Oh, shit…."

"A good Christian never swears, Mr. Braddock," Varlis chided him. "No matter how dark things may appear."  
>"Uh, yeah…sorry sir," Braddock said quickly. "What are your orders, sir?"<p>

"I don't want Batman finding anything, understand?"

"Understood, sir. But what about the Gordon girl?"

"I don't want the Batman to find _anything_, Mr. Braddock."

There was a moment of silence. Then Braddock said, "Very well. I've got to go, sir. We're a few minutes out from Site B right now. I'll call you when it's over."

Varlis hung up just then. He shut off the TV in his bedroom, then went downstairs and fixed himself a brandy. He sat down in an easy chair and switched on the TV in the living room.

With a glance at his watch, he thought, 'Another ten minutes, and this whole mess should be over. Hope Braddock does a thorough job in torching the place. I want that Bat-Bastard to find nothing but ashes….'

**B&B**

Barbra awoke in bed, wondering why the alarm clock had not gone off, or why her mother hadn't come to call her to wake up and get ready for school. But when she was unable to move her arms and legs, Barbra was alarmed to see that her wrists and ankles had been bound to the sides of the bed that she lay on.

And it wasn't a bed, but more of a wheeled examination table that she lay on. She was gagged with some sort of muzzle that covered her entire mouth. Her clothes had been removed; she lay clad in nothing but a hospital gown. It all came back to her at that point.

'I was brought to some kind of a warehouse by the Bat creature,' she thought, as the memories came flooding back. 'Someone, a man, knocked me out with a dart gun!'

The room she was in was a gleaming white facility with what appeared to be the latest in medical equipment. Barbra would almost think she was in the hospital, were it not for the restraints and gag.

'Not to mention all of the yelling and screaming,' she thought.

She glanced over to her left, at the man and woman who stood arguing. Despite the fact that they stood behind a glass partition, Barbra could still hear their agitated voices, although she still could not make out what they were saying. She recognized the man as being the same one who had shot her with the dart.

The woman threw her hands at the man in a disgusted manner and then entered the lab where Barbra lay bound. "Oh, look, Randall, she's awake," she told the man. "You want to explain to her why it's so damn important for her to get raped by one of those things?"

'What?' a confused and panicked Barbra suddenly wondered.

"And I keep telling you, Karin," Randall said patiently, "that she's the daughter of the damned police commissioner, and she's seen far too much for us to just let go! At least this way she'll still be alive."

Karin gazed down at the wide-eyed Barbra with sorrow. "Just outright killing her would actually be more merciful than what you want to do with her."

Barbra wished she wasn't gagged. As it was, all she could do was give Randall an angry glare. 'What the hell is going on, here?' she frantically wondered. 'Just what does this bastard have planned for me?'

The man named Randall stared at her with a calm expression on his face. "I know you may see me as being a monster. But I can only hope that, in time, you will see just what an incredible contribution you shall make to both science, as well as to the defense of this great nation."

"Randall, no!" the woman cried, when he began to push her examination table into another room. "I will not allow this-"

They were interrupted by a loud ringing sound. Barbra quickly saw that it was an alarm system that warned them that they had visitors at the front gate. She could see them on the monitor that Randall had consulted: a group of burly men in large coats; their coats looked large enough to hide weapons.

"Braddock," Randall said into a microphone by the monitor. "What is it? We're busy."

"You're gonna be a hell of a lot more busy pretty soon," he replied. "The Batman is following one of your pets right back here! Let us in!"

'Oh, thank you, God!' an elated Barbra thought with relief.

"Damn it! One second, Braddock," Randall said. He turned to Karin. "Go to the main pen and release all of them. If Batman is on the grounds, they'll find him and kill him. I'll let Braddock inside."

Karin gestured at the helpless Barbra. "What about her?"

"She's not going anywhere," Randall said with a dismissive wave, as he and Karin left the room. "We'll deal with her later."

'Great!' Barbra cheerily thought, once she was left alone. She glanced around, looking for something sharp that she could use to-

But her efforts to get herself free ended just as soon as they started when Randall abruptly came back inside the room. He unlocked the wheels on her table and quickly wheeled Barbra into what looked like a dank, dark cell that was directly adjacent to the examination room. Randall's efforts were so rash and rushed that he accidentally banged the table that Barbra lay on against a smaller table in the cell.

"Hope you two get along," Randall said, as he gave Barbra an oddly affectionate rub on the side of her face with the back of his hand. Then he left the room, closing the door behind him.

'Get along?' Barbra thought. She stared after the man as if he were insane. 'What's he talking about? Get along with who? There's nobody….'

Barbra froze in fear when she heard a low growling noise coming from above. When she gazed upwards, Barbra saw one of the Bat creatures. It hung upside-down directly over her.

When it opened its black orbs and peered down at the bound and gagged Barbra Gordon below, the creature let out a loud roar. Then it unfurled its wings, exposing a bandage that was wrapped around its ribs; a bandage that covered wounds given to it by Catwoman.

Barbra realized this was the very same Bat creature whom she and Catwoman had fought on the roof a few nights ago. And, from the looks of things, the monster also recognized her, as well.

And he didn't look too happy to see her.

'Oh, Gawd!' a terrified Barbra thought.

**B&B**

"Yah!" Catwoman snarled, as she cracked her whip at two of the approaching Bat creatures. The sharp snap of the whip had sent them reeling backwards, but she did not know how long she could keep them at bay.

'I could have been sitting at home, enjoying some tea and cookies with Holly,' she thought with regret. 'But oh, no! I couldn't just do that, now, could I? The great and mighty Catwoman couldn't just enjoy a quiet night at home with a good friend, now, can she? Oh, no, this crazy bitch just had to go out looking for trouble….'

She cracked her whip at another Bat creature that crawled up towards them. But while the creature stopped, it still held its ground. "They're getting bolder!" she called back to Batman, who stood directly behind her. "What're you doing, anyway?"

She glanced back and was stunned to see him down on one knee, looking like he was calmly fixing one of his boots. "A fine time for you to be tying your shoe!" she angrily said.

"Relax," Batman said, as he stood up. "I was getting something from the heel of my boot."

"What?"

He held up a small metal box, no bigger than a fingernail. "This."

Once Batman pressed it, all of the Bat creatures abruptly halted in their tracks, their massive ears honing in on a sound that only they could hear.

"Go fetch," Batman said, as he threw the little device as far as he could.

Catwoman laughed when she saw the army of Bat creatures suddenly ignore them as they all went charging after the little box.

Batman grabbed her arm. "C'mon."

"Where are we going?" she asked, allowing herself to be pulled along by Batman.

"To the warehouse," Batman replied. "To save the daughter of a good friend. You game?"

"Got nothing better to do tonight," Catwoman said.

**B&B**

They entered the warehouse through a side door, after Batman blasted open the lock with an explosive pellet. As he ran down the corridor, looking to get his bearings, Batman was pleased to see Catwoman kept pace with him, her whip at the ready.

'Despite her criminal leanings, she's already proven herself to be a decent person,' Batman wondered. 'How much of a push would it take to get her to join our side?'

They arrived at a T-junction in the hallway, and Batman stopped short when he heard men's voices. They were calling someone's name.

"Flagg?" one of them called out. "Where are ya, buddy?"

The friendliness in the man's tone sounded so patently false that even Catwoman rolled her eyes in disbelief at this. Batman snuck a peek around the corner and saw that the man who was calling was with a group of other men, and they were all packing automatic weapons.

Batman instantly grabbed a flash grenade pellet from his utility belt, but before he could throw it, Catwoman grabbed his arm. "Behind us!"

Batman saw the second team of armed men coming up right behind them. They were also all heavily armed.

"Close your eyes," Batman told Catwoman, just as he threw the flash grenade on the floor directly in front of them.

Once it exploded, the second team of gunmen who came up from behind them stopped and recoiled from the flash.

Batman led Catwoman through the billowing smoke to the other side of the T-junction. Gun fire erupted just then, and the wall where they had just passed was riddled with bullet holes.

"No more games, Flagg!" the same man called. "It's all over!"

The opposite side of the T-junction turned out to be a dead end that was being used as storage for old filing cabinets. Luckily, they were steel cabinets, which offered good protection against bullets.

Batman threw two more pellets into the open area of the T-junction; this time another flash grenade, along with a smoke grenade. When they went off, they thwarted an assault by the main force of gunmen who had tried to rush them.

Batman pulled Catwoman behind one of the filing cabinets, which rattled violently under the rain of bullets that were shot at them.

"Any other time, this would be very cozy," Catwoman said, smiling, as she stood embraced in Batman's arms.

Ignoring her, Batman slapped the blocker disc that he wore on his utility belt.

"What's that?" Catwoman asked. "Another dog whistle that only overgrown bats can hear?"

"No, it's a surveillance blocker," he replied.

"You turned it on?"

"I turned it off," he told her. "No need for it now, since they know we're here. Besides, I have a phone call to make."

Batman pressed a hand to the side of his head and said, "Robin? Come in, Robin."

**B&B**

"Robin here, Batman," he answered, as he drove the Tumbler down a deserted road. "Go ahead."

"The Willow Hills address is the place," Batman said. "Make the call to Gordon right now."

"Got it," Huntress said, as she began to speed-dial her cell phone.

"All of the creatures have been released into the surrounding woods," Batman continued. "I've kept them busy with a diversion, but I don't know how long it will last, so be careful. Also, there are armed goons running around in here. They look like a professional clean up team. They've got Catwoman and myself pinned down."

"You need a diversion from us?" Robin asked.

"It would be appreciated. The bigger the better."

"You got it, Batman." He nodded as a structure came at them in the darkness. "We're just arriving now. Hold on."

Robin drove in stunned silence for a moment while Huntress rapidly gave the address to Gordon over her cell phone. 'Catwoman?' Robin wondered. 'Catwoman's _working_ with him?'

"I didn't know Catwoman also worked with you guys," Chloe said in surprise.

"Yeah," Robin replied, with a shake of his head, "that's news to me, too."

"Gordon now knows," Huntress said, as she put her phone away. "The place will be wall to wall with cops very shortly. Hey, what's this I heard about Catwoman?"

"She's working with Batman," Robin told her.

"Catwoman?" Huntress said with amazement. "Really?"

"Hold on," Robin said. "Here we are. Looks like we've got company, too. See all the dark sedans parked out front?"

"And they're not police-issued sedans that GCPD detectives drive," Huntress said warily.

"Must belong to the clean up crew that Batman mentioned," Chloe added.

Robin eyed the black cars that were parked outside the glass-enclosed lobby. He saw three men in suits who instantly took notice of them. Then the men began to pull out weapons.

"You ladies securely buckled down?" Robin asked. "The ride's about to get rough."

"Just bring it," Huntress said, as she and Chloe, who were both buckled in, braced themselves. "We're good."

"You're about to see why I think the Tumbler rocks very hard," Robin said, as he hit the turbocharger button. This ignited the rocket booster in back, which caused the massive, tank-like vehicle to roar straight through the front gates like they were made of butter.

As they roared up the driveway, towards the warehouse, Robin smiled as he watched the armed goons open fire on the Tumbler. The bullets had no effect on its thick armor. Robin raced past them and aimed the Tumbler straight at the glass enclosed lobby. "One diversion, coming up!"

"Oh, Christ," Huntress muttered, as she pulled Chloe towards her into a protective hug. "Hold on!"

"Instant redecoration!" Robin called out, as the Tumbler effortlessly smashed its way into the lobby. It plowed through a group of plastic seats and the front desk, which, at this late hour, all stood empty. Robin brought the monstrous vehicle to a halt.

Another group of goons, who were busy firing their weapons down a corridor just behind the remains of the front desk, abruptly swung their guns around to face the Tumbler. Their automatic weapons spat out so many rounds continuously that Robin and the women were momentarily trapped within the safety of the Tumbler.

"What'll we do?" Huntress asked. "We can't get out while they're still shooting!"

Robin smiled when he saw a flash grenade being thrown out into the lobby. "Cover your eyes, now!"

Robin kept his eyes closed until he heard the familiar boom of the grenade. He grinned when he saw the armed men were now stumbling around dazed and in shock from the grenade that Batman had launched. "Ok, you can look, now."

Batman himself appeared, and he took down two of the goons without even breaking his stride. Robin was shocked to see Catwoman was beside him, taking down another goon with a swift kick to his stomach.

"Hot damn," Huntress said, when she saw Catwoman. "Never would have believed it unless I saw it, but there she is, really fighting on the side of the angels tonight! Who knew she had a heart?"

With the gunfire having ceased, Robin popped the top of the Tumbler's cockpit to go join the right. "Huntress, keep an eye on Bat Geek," he said.

"WAIT! _What_ did you just call me?" a livid Chloe shouted at him.

"Can't call you by your regular name here," Robin said, grinning, as he leapt out of the Tumbler in a somersault and landed deftly on his feet.

Robin instantly took down one of the goons with a kick to the stomach, which made him bend over in pain. Then Robin landed a blow on the back of his neck that sent him straight to the floor. Unfortunately for Robin, who had been aching for a fight, the goon he took down was the next to last of the bad guys.

After Batman had just punched the last goon right next to him, Robin said, "Who're these guys? Rejects from Mobster central casting?"

"Hired muscle who were sent here to torch the place. There are more of them further down the hallway." The Dark Knight quickly glanced around at the lobby. "Where's Catwoman?"

All Robin saw were the knocked-out goons they had just taken down. "She's not here. Huntress and Bat Geek are with me. They're in the Tumbler."

"Bat Geek, Robin?" Chloe angrily asked, as she stuck her head up out of the Tumbler. She wore her mask. "Seriously?"

Huntress, who stood up with her, suddenly glanced out through the smashed lobby glass and said, "The Bat creatures are back!"

"Looks like they got bored with your diversion," Robin noted, as he saw the goons who had shot at them outside dive into their cars for protection as the Bat creatures wildly flew around above them. "What do we do now?"

"First thing I want you do to is turn on your blocker," Batman replied. When Robin did this, Batman added, "I know of a way to round up the creatures, but I want to find Barbra Gordon, first. Ladies, come with us!"

"Where's your blocker?" Robin asked.

Batman sealed up the Tumbler after Huntress and Chloe got out of it.

"Looks like Catwoman lifted it off of me during the fight," he growled. "Forget that for now. Let's split up. Huntress, you and Chloe try and find the central control center. That may help us to find Barbra quicker."

As they all ran their separate ways down the corridor, Huntress anxiously said, "I only hope we're not too late!"

**B&B**

Randall opened the door that led to the secret underground passageway. Then he nodded at Karin and said, "Get in, I'll bring up the rear."

"What about the girl?" Karin asked. "We can't just leave her!"

Randall pointed down the hall when they heard the sound of distant gunfire. "You hear that? That's the sound of Braddock in full 'cleaning' mode. Trust me, we don't want to be around when that happens."

Karin stared longingly down the hall. "All the creatures…all of our work…."

"It'll be restarted once more," he promised her. "But only as long as we survive, Karin. We have to get out of here, now."

She ran through the doorway and Randall followed her, closing the door behind them. The door was actually a hidden panel that blended in with the wall when it was closed, so there was a good chance they would slip away unnoticed.

'We might sneak away like mice, but we'll be heard from again,' Flagg thought with a smug smile. He ran down the narrow subterranean passageway right behind Karin. 'If His Lordship no longer wants our services, then there will be plenty others who will pay for them.'

**B&B**

'Come here, you son of a….' Barbra thought, as she strained her hand to reach the small table beside her. The table contained various medical implements, which included a scalpel.

Once she saw the scalpel, it took all of Barbra's nerves to ignore the growling creature that hung above her and focus on grabbing the bladed instrument. This was easier said than done, since her hand was still bound to the side of the table she lay on with a medical restraint.

She flinched once the creature let out a roar for no good reason. But Barbra kept straining to reach for the scalpel, until the creature leapt down from its perch and landed on top of her on the table.

'Oh, Gawd no!' Barbra thought, as she gazed up at the monster in sheer terror.

The Bat creature raised one claw, its talons gleaming in the dim light, and then lowered it in a swift stroke.

To Barbra's surprise, the creature had sliced the restraints that kept her right hand tied to the edge of the table. Once Barbra's hand was free, she used it to pull the gag down from her mouth as she stared up at the creature in shock.

The creature then got off of her and lay down on the floor in a weary heap.

Barbra freed her other wrist, then sat up and stared at the monster that had set her loose. "Thank you."

The door flew open just then, and the man whom Barbra recognized from the monitor as Braddock entered the room with two others. Seeing the creature on the floor, they pointed their guns at it. Then one of the men walked over and kicked it sharply in the back. The monster made a pained moaning sound.

"Forget that thing. This is who we want," Braddock said with a smile. "The police commissioner's daughter."

'Oh, damn,' Barbra nervously thought, as the muzzle of a gun was pointed right in her face.

**B&B**

Chloe smiled under her mask as she and Huntress entered the main control center. They were surrounded by high tech computers with about a dozen monitors. "This is more like it," Chloe said happily. She pulled off her mask. "Ugh, this is hot! I don't know how you guys stand wearing these things!"

"What about the cameras?" Huntress asked.

"There are no security cameras here in the main control room," Chloe told her. "The watchers never like being watched."

"Ain't that the sorry truth," Huntress muttered. Then she keyed her comm. "Batman, we're here in the control center."

"Do you have a view of the outside?" the Dark Knight urgently asked. "Can you see what the Bat creatures are doing?"

"Just flying around crazily," Huntress said. "But shouldn't we be looking for Barbra?"

"There should be a central command to recall all of them in the control center," Batman said, ignoring her. "Look for it now."

"But what about Barbra?" Huntress asked, sounding confused.

"I found something," Chloe excitedly said. She pointed at buttons on a main control panel. "Buttons here marked 'open all pens' and 'call home'."

"Use them," Batman said. "See if you can recall all the Bat creatures."

Chloe pressed the 'open all pens' button and heard mechanical equipment moving and whirring in another part of the warehouse. She glanced up at a monitor that showed an exterior view of the warehouse and saw several hidden doors open in the top part of the outer wall. "Pens are open," she reported, "now let's see if we can't herd these little doggies in."

When Chloe pressed the 'call home' button, she smiled when the Bat creatures abruptly ceased their wild flying around and all flew directly into each of their pens. "Done!" she cheerily called, as she pressed the button that closed the pens. "All the doggies are home and locked in!"

"I figured they would use the same technology that I had to call bats," Batman said.

"But what about Barbra?" Huntress said with an annoyed tone.

"If you'll just switch on the security camera for lab four," Batman calmly told them. "You can see for yourself."

It took just a second for Chloe to call it up on the main monitor. When they saw the image, Huntress let out a gasp of horror. "OH MY GOD!"

**B&B**

Batman and Robin stood by the front door of the lab, both tense and ready to pounce. Yet they held themselves back at the sight before them.

Barbra Gordon stood helplessly in front of a small group of the remaining cleanup thugs. Her hands were bound behind her back as one of the men, a big, burly bastard, held a gun directly to the side of her head.

"Thanks for making my job easier by calling back the creatures, Batman," the man said with a sneer. He held Barbra close to him, like a shield. "But if you and Batboy there make any sudden moves, I will blow this pretty little girl's brains all over the wall."

**To Be Continued...**


	12. Chapter 12

_My thanks to stargaze29 for the kind words, as always._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Twelve**

Batman sized up the situation.

Robin stood next to him, coiled and ready for action.

Barbra Gordon stood in front of them, barefoot, and clad only in what looked like a hospital gown. With her hands bound behind her back, she appeared to be remarkably poised for someone who stood with a gun pointed to her head. In fact, she gave him a patient, steady gaze, as if waiting for his instructions. If Batman had any doubts about how she handled trouble, they were long gone, now. It was clear to him now that Barbra Gordon was as tough as they came.

Batman took in the three men who stood behind the burly fellow who presently used Barbra as a shield. Despite their hard looks and tough stances, Batman could easily see that they were all scared to death. He would still have to move carefully, here. One false move would get Barbra killed. 'Let's try something….'

"Is this what Cadmus is reduced to these days?" Batman calmly asked. "Hiding behind young women?"

One of the men behind Barbra looked so angry, it appeared as if he wanted to attack Batman just for saying that. And he basically confirmed the Dark Knight's suspicions that these were ex-Cadmus agents. Now Batman knew who he was dealing with.

But the man who held Barbra hostage kept his calm as he shook his head, keeping his eyes focused on the Dark Knight. "Look, we're leaving, and we're taking the little lady with us."

"The hell you are," Robin growled.

Something moved in the shadows of the adjacent room. Batman didn't look directly at it, for he didn't want to divert the attention of these men just yet. But judging from the abrupt movement he now saw out of the corner of his eyes, this might be something that he could use.

"Easy Robin," Batman said, keeping his voice loud to cover the noise from the next room. "Perhaps we'll just back off, and let these gentlemen go."

Barbra's eyes suddenly went wide as she glanced over in surprise at something that appeared in the doorway of the adjacent room.

Robin stared at him as if he were insane. "We're letting them go? Seriously?"

"Not really," Batman said…just as the Bat creature leap into the room.

And that was when Batman made his move.

The man who held the gun to Barbra's head was momentarily distracted by the Bat creature, who attacked his comrades behind him. The amount of time that had passed was just barely seconds; no more than the time it took to inhale, or to take a glance to the side.

But it was all that Batman needed.

He grabbed the gun with one hand and pulled it up, so that when the man fired, he harmlessly shot a bullet into the ceiling. Batman's vise-like grip held the man's hand, along with the gun, aimed right where it was.

Batman was then going to punch the son of a bitch, but Barbra had actually beat him to it. She raised one leg, bent it sharply at the knee, and swung it backwards into a savage stomp…right into the man's crotch.

Now the gunman's eyes grew wide with shock and pain as he raised his head up to gasp in pain.

And that was when Batman clocked him across the face with a left hook. The man collapsed to the floor, releasing his grip on both Barbra and his gun.

The Dark Knight turned to Barbara and whispered, "Hit the deck…."

Barbra promptly went down in a kneeling position, one side of her face pressed to the floor; instantly making herself as small a target as possible, safely out of the way of any gunfire or punches.

Batman dumped the bullets from the goon's gun, then turned his attention to the other thugs.

The Bat creature had quickly lost its fight, collapsing to the floor midway through its attack. Batman saw why: it wore bandages around its torso. It was wounded.

Robin had picked up where the Bat creature left off by diving feet first into the trio of thugs, knocking them all down like bowling pins. Batman kicked one of the downed men in the face, ensuring that he stayed down. He glanced up and saw Robin land a savage blow to a second man, while kicking a third in the stomach at the same time.

'He's healed quite well,' Batman thought, with a satisfactory nod.

Robin stood and looked over the knocked out goons, then he stared at Batman anxiously. "Is she all right?"

"She is very well, thanks," Barbra said, as she primly stood up from her kneeling position. Then she came over to Batman, turned her back to him, and offered her bound wrists. "And she is very happy to see you!"

"Very good to see you, as well," Batman said, as he quickly cut her hands loose. He was surprised, and pleased, when she abruptly turned around and hugged him tightly. He returned the embrace. "Are you all right?"

"I am, thanks to you guys," she said. Then she glanced at the Bat creature. "And him."

"Wait, him?" Robin gave the unconscious Bat creature a stunned look. "You're saying _he_ helped you?"

"One of the scientists running the place, a guy named Randall, wanted him to mate with me! He left me alone in there, tied to the cot, with the creature. But when the creature woke up, instead of assaulting me, he freed me! And now I just saw him helping you by attacking these guys! Guess I was lucky to catch one of the decent Bat creatures."

Batman stared at the slumbering creature thoughtfully. "Dr. Langstrom, I presume?"

"You think this might be the STAR Labs guy?" Robin asked.

"Only proper testing will tell for sure," Batman replied. "But I have a hunch that the good doctor's normally humane tendencies couldn't be completely suppressed by his transformation into this creature."

"Can he be turned back?" Barbra asked. She stared at the creature with concern.

Before Batman could answer, Huntress and Chloe appeared in the doorway. Huntress ran over and embraced Barbra tightly.

"The police are coming, in force," Chloe told them.

"Robin, get in the Tumbler and get out of here," Batman ordered, "I'll take everybody else out in the Prowler."

"Meet you back at the Batcave," Robin said, as he ran out the room. He waved at Chloe and said, "Later, Bat Geek!"

"Oh, you!" Chloe muttered with an angry shake of her fist at him. "I know I'm not really a member of this team, but couldn't he have picked a better name than that?"

"You're still my hero, Chloe," Barbra said, as she hugged her tightly, "no matter what name you use."

Chloe melted into mush as she embraced Barbra. "Oh, Babs!"

"Here are your clothes," Huntress said, as she held up Barbra's folded clothing. "Can't find your shoes."

"Never mind them. We must get going," Batman prompted them. "Barbra, I'm dropping you off to your parents at police headquarters."

Batman picked her up in his arms and flung his cape over so that it covered Barbra. As he carried her out of the building, with Huntress and Chloe bringing up the rear, the first police responders were just pulling up to the building up front.

"I-I'm sorry," Barbra whispered to him. "I've been letting you down badly lately, haven't I? First going out on my own, without authorization, and now _this_ mess…."

"Nonsense. You're an extremely valuable member of my team. And what happened to you could have happened to any one of us," Batman told her. "You have nothing to apologize for. Understand me?"

She nodded, tears of joy streaming down her face.

Batman was just so relieved to have her back, safe and sound, that he pulled her in tight for another hug. When they reached the woods, he called the Prowler over and they got in. Barbra got in back with Huntress and Chloe, who helped her get changed, while Batman flew the Prowler into the night skies. Below him, an army of police surrounded and then entered the warehouse. Batman saw Harvey Bullock on the ground, barking out orders. As much of an annoyance as that big lug could be, Batman was still pleased to see him back in action.

Batman called Harvey's cell phone and told him about the clean up crew thugs, as well as the injured Bat creature. "Take good care of that one," the Dark Knight told Bullock, "I have good reason to believe it might be Dr. Langstrom."

Batman then called Gordon personally and told him he was returning with Barbra. She would be reunited with her parents on the roof of police headquarters. Jim sounded both ecstatic and relieved, and Batman could hear Jim's wife in the background as she let out a squeal of joy.

As Batman flew towards the city proper, he still felt a shadow of disappointment being cast over his accomplishments tonight. They managed to shut down the Bat creature program, but the big boss, the scumbag behind the whole operation who sent in that cleaning crew, was still at large.

'This case isn't over until I find whoever is behind this,' Batman privately swore. 'And I won't rest until I _do_ find him.'

Still, there was a sweet moment that even the Batman had to enjoy, and that was when he carried Barbra, now clad in jeans and a jacket, over to her father on the roof of police headquarters. Jim simply grabbed his daughter from Batman and held her tightly in his arms as his wife hugged them both.

Batman had quietly left them in their moment of happiness. Yet he didn't leave unnoticed.

Batman let out a whispered curse as an Eye On Gotham news helicopter noisily buzzed the roof.

"BATMAN!" the reporter, a woman, screamed from the copter through a bullhorn. "CAN WE HAVE A WORD WITH YOU?"

Batman's response was to dive off the roof. As he fell towards the earth, he flicked his wrists, and his cape hardened into wings. He then glided around the other side of the building, where the Prowler hovered, and landed on one of its wings.

The news chopper had swung around the building just as Batman was climbing inside the cockpit of the Prowler.

"BATMAN!" the reporter shouted. "WE'RE PREPARED TO OFFER YOU EXCLUSIVE…."

Batman never heard the rest of what she said, for he closed the cockpit, took control of the Prowler, and sharply veered off in a trajectory where the helicopter was unable to follow.

The comm monitor came on, and Alfred's face smiled back at him. "Robin has returned, sir. And he brings great news. Congratulations!"

"Thanks, Alfred. We just dropped Barbra off with her parents. Liv and Chloe are with me, and we're headed home, now."

Alfred nodded. "Looking forward to greeting you, sir. I'll have the kitchen prepped and ready for a hearty meal."

When the butler signed off, Batman heard a petulant Chloe behind him say, "Thanks for not calling me Bat Geek…."

Batman glanced back at her. She had removed her mask and sat looking mildly depressed. "And thanks once again for all of your help, Chloe. This is the second time you've stepped up to help us. Robin's sense of humor notwithstanding, we're all extremely grateful to you."

"Hear, hear!" Olivia said, as she pulled a blushing Chloe into an affectionate, one-armed hug. "Great job, sweetie!"

When Batman landed the Prowler in its secret hanger at Wayne Manor, Alfred and Dick stood waiting for them. Dick was dressed in just jeans and a t-shirt.

"Saw you on the news," Dick said. "The news chopper caught the whole Gordon family reunion. It was a real sweet thing to see."

"It was indeed quite touching, sir," Alfred added. "Splendid job, all of you."

"Did the news chopper show footage of my ducking them?" Batman asked, half-jokingly.

"No, but the news was quite busy tonight, what with your battle with the Bat creature," Alfred said, as they descended the steps to the Batcave. "And now the capture of those at the Bat creature's lair."

"Yeah, it was a crazy night," Dick added. "Even McHenry Air Force base got in on the act."

Bruce was in the process of pulling off the Batman cowl when he heard this. "What happened with the Air Force Base?"

"The news reported that they went on full alert, sending two F-35s airborne," Alfred reported. "They even buzzed Gotham City, which was what drew everyone's attention. But, just as suddenly as it started, the alert was soon canceled. The airbase now says that it wasn't an alert after all, but just a drill."

Bruce, still clad in the Batman suit, walked over to the Batcomputer. "Did they say when this happened?"

"They didn't say," Alfred replied. "Something wrong, sir?"

Bruce scanned the news items from the website of the local Gotham Gazette newspaper. The night's busy events had their front page hopping with news stories. But then he saw the item about McHenry.

"At 12: 14 AM, McHenry went on full alert, launching its fighters over Gotham City," Bruce read from the main screen. "That was when I began chasing the Bat creature…I remember because I had taken note of the time when I got into the Prowler." Then it hit him. "Damn it…."

"What is it, Bruce?" Olivia asked. "What's wrong?"

Bruce shook his head slowly. "They had me tonight, Liv. The Air Force was so very close to tracking me."

"But how could they track you?" Chloe asked. "The Prowler's got stealth."

"The Bat Creature doesn't have stealth," Bruce told her. "The airbase saw me on TV fighting with the creature on the roof of the Vermeer building, and then they launched their fighters, suspecting that I would be following the monster back to its lair. The Air Force had me within their sights tonight, and yet they abruptly called it all off. Why?"

"Batman has his supporters," Alfred said. "I wouldn't be surprised if some of them were in the armed services."

"I agree, Alfred…." Yet Bruce shook his head when something still nibbled at him. "But what if that wasn't the reason they were called off?"

"What do you mean?" Dick asked.

"What if the fighters were recalled because whoever called them off didn't want the Air Force finding out the Bat creature's lair anymore than he wanted me to?" Bruce posited.

"That would mean that whoever called off the fighters knew full well what was going on at…." Olivia stopped speaking when she considered the implications. "Sweet Jesus, Bruce!"

"Exactly, Liv," Bruce said, as he sat down before the Batcomputer and got to work. "If I'm right, then the mastermind behind the Bat creature program might have just tipped his hand tonight. And if he did, then I can finally get the bastard!"

**B&B**

As much as Olivia hated leaving the celebratory mood at Wayne Manor, she still had a Special Victims Unit to run. And so she got dressed in her regular clothes and returned to the city, specifically to police headquarters. However, Olivia discovered that she had left one celebratory party at Wayne Manor and walked into another one in the SVU bullpen. The sense of relief and happiness that she felt here was intoxicating.

Yet Olivia was stunned when Gordon, seeing her enter, gestured at Olivia and said, "There she is, the other hero tonight!"

Olivia felt her cheeks go red with embarrassment as the entire bullpen erupted into wild applause and cheering for her. Rachel was also cheering, and nodding her head, as if to say, 'Yes, you deserve this, Liv.'

Jim Gordon and his wife Barbra came up and both gave a stunned Olivia a warm hug of thanks. "Wait, I didn't really…." Olivia started to say.

"Barbra told us everything," Jim said. "You were a big help to both the Batman, and to my daughter tonight. Thank you so much, Liv."

"And thank the Batman for us, would you, please?" his wife asked. "He left too soon!"

"Yeah, he does that," Olivia said with a chuckle. "I will. I'll tell him, I promise."

After receiving congratulatory remarks from every cop in the bullpen, Olivia turned and saw Barbra standing with a big smile. She had changed out of her clothes and into dark blue sweats with the letters GCPD emblazoned on the chest.

Although they had joyfully hugged each other little more than an hour ago, they happily embraced once again. Olivia took this moment to whisper into Barbra's ear: "What the hell are you doing, telling everybody about me?"

"I only said you were a huge help to the Batman," Barbra whispered back. "And you _were _a huge help, Liv."

When they broke their embrace, Barbra added, "I'm just making sure you got the credit that you deserve, that's all."

Olivia just smiled warmly at her. "I'm so glad you're back with us, safe and sound, kiddo."

"Me, too!" Barbra said. Then she excused herself when her mother had called her over.

Olivia walked over to where Rachel stood speaking with Elliot and Lana. Yet before speaking to them, she checked in with J'onn and Katie, who stood a respectful distance away. "No sign of trouble from Clayface?"

"Not tonight," J'onn said. "I believe I may have scared him off…at least from making another attempt on Ms. Dawes right here and now."

"Let's hope so." Olivia let out a weary sigh. "No sooner is one crisis over then another takes its place."

"Welcome to Gotham City," Katie said, her voice dripping with an equal tone of weariness.

Olivia chuckled. "Tell me about it! I told Batman about the attack by Clayface on Rachel. And I felt bad about doing it because he's still trying to track down the mastermind behind the Bat creature program. Ok, can you stick with Rachel until she goes home?" she asked J'onn.

"It would be my pleasure," he replied. When Katie loudly cleared her throat, J'onn quickly amended his statement: "I mean, it would be _our_ pleasure."

"Thanks, guys," Olivia told them. "Seriously, you guys are true lifesavers."

She left them to speak with Rachel, only to see the District Attorney was busy speaking to a member of the city council. Elliot and Lana came over to her, and congratulated Olivia on the success of the mission.

"Thanks," she told Lana. She wanted to tell her that Chloe also played a big part of the mission's success, but with Elliot standing right there, it was hard for her to open up with details of the mission. She hated leaving him out of the loop, but too many people already knew of their secret for her comfort.

Lana appeared to read Olivia's mind regarding Chloe, for she just smiled and said, "Chloe went home, I take it?"  
>"Yes," Olivia replied. "Home here."<p>

"Right, I think I'll take my leave, now," Lana said. "Goodnight, Liv. Good meeting you, Elliot."

"Same here, Lana," Elliot said. "Good night."

"Where's Alex?" Olivia asked him when Lana left.

"Out at the crime scene with the detectives," Elliot replied.

"Looks like it's going to be a long night," Olivia muttered.

Elliot didn't answer her. Instead he gazed at something with a slight smile on his face. When Olivia saw what it was, she smiled as well.

Barbra sat on a desk in the bullpen along side her mother, who hugged her daughter affectionately as she tenderly caressed her hair.

"That's what this job is all about," Elliot said. "I had forgotten that."

"Yes, a scene like that makes all the fuss well worth it." Olivia consulted her watch, and she saw it was almost four thirty in the morning. "Well, seeing how we're going to be working well into the day, I might as well make a fresh pot of coffee. You can go home, if you want, El."

Elliot shook his head. "Nah. I'd be happy to stay with you, if you can stand me, that is…."

"Of course, by all means," Olivia said, as they went into her office. She gave him a hopeful look. "Can't quite let go of the detective lifestyle just yet, huh?"

"Actually, I changed my mind," Elliot said. "I'm not leaving the job. I even called Cragen earlier to let him know that I'd be back."

Olivia stopped short, the empty coffee pot in hand, and stared at him with a mixture of joy and shock. "El, that's wonderful! What changed your mind, seeing Babs get rescued?"

"Yeah…that, and it was also something that Alex had said to me earlier tonight." Elliot glanced down at the floor, then he gave her a meaningful look. "She reminded me that there are some things worth fighting for, and that I shouldn't stop fighting just because I lose one battle."

Olivia now wished she had been present during this exchange, because it sounded like it must have been a doozy. "That's just great, El. The NYPD just wouldn't have been the same without you."

"There's something else, Liv," Elliot said uneasily. "I know…about the kind of 'help' that you give the Batman."

No sooner had Olivia recovered from the shock of hearing Elliot was staying on the job than she was sent reeling once more. "What, did Alex tell you?"

"No, she didn't. But it was pretty easy to read between the lines," Elliot told her. "You actually wear a costume when you go out with him?"

Before she answered, Olivia closed the door to her office. 'Leave it to El to be able to read both Alex and me like books,' she thought miserably. She turned to him and said, "It's not a costume, it's a combat suit. It's padded and bullet proof."

"But you wear a mask, just like he does?"

"To protect my identity, just like Batman does."

Elliot suddenly stared at her wide-eyed, as if realizing something. "You know who the Batman really is?"

"What's the point of this, El? I mean, if you disapprove, I'm sorry, but…."

Elliot just shook his head. "No, no, no…like I said before, Alex made me realize that some things are worth fighting for, and you've got to take extreme measures to win the war. I understand that. I get that. But I guess I just want to make sure that _you're_ all right with it. I still care for you, Liv, and I just wanted to be certain that you're safe and happy."

Olivia went over to him and gently caressed the side of his arm. "I've got to admit to not always being safe, but I _am_ very happy. And I help out like this only during extreme emergency situations. It's not like I go out with him on patrol every frigging night. The majority of the time, I'm right here, in the SVU. It's really the best place where I can make a difference."

Elliot nodded. "That's great. Really. But, Liv…seriously, you actually know Batman's real identity? You wanna at least give me a hint?"

Olivia just shook her head dismally. "I swear to Christ, it's like I'm back at the One-Six! I'm spending just five minutes with you and it's frigging Romper Room time all over again!"

This caused Elliot to burst into laughter.

"You think it's funny, but I once had Wonder Woman in here, rearranging the place, and she damned near rearranged my face because she wanted me to tell her Batman's real identity!"

"I'm kidding! I'm just kidding," he assured her. He held out his hands. "Come on, let's hug it out!"

"You'd better be kidding," Olivia said, grinning, as they embraced. "Because Alex is close personal friends with the Hulk, and she'll make him pay you a visit and set you straight!"

"HULK SMASH!" Elliot jokingly said, as he lifted her up in his arms.

Olivia wasn't sure if it was a sudden relief of the stress from the past evening, but the silliness of the moment caused her to abruptly start giggling like a schoolgirl. "Yeah," she said in-between snorts of laughter, "something like that. Now put me down, for Christ's sake!"

When they heard someone clear their throat, both Olivia and Elliot instantly ceased their rambunctious playing. Linda stood at the door with an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, boss. But I just wanted to make sure if you heard the great news."

"If it's about Babs, we all know, Linda," Olivia replied with a smile.

"It's not just Barbra Gordon's rescue that's big news tonight," Linda told her. "It's something the news has just started reporting from Kansas. They captured Magneto."

**B&B**

Alfred placed the food had just cooked onto a tray and covered it. Then he picked up the tray and carried it down to the Batcave. As he suspected, Master Bruce had never come up to eat with the others, so Alfred made sure to save him a portion of the food while it was still piping hot.

'He's getting some decent food in him even if I have to force feed him,' Alfred solemnly thought, as he rode the elevator down to the Batcave proper.

Yet when he emerged from the elevator, Alfred's expression changed from a smile to a pained look when he saw Master Bruce was once again fully suited up as the Batman. He had just checked something at the Batcomputer and was now on his way back up the steps that lead to the Prowler hanger.

"Leaving so soon, Master Bruce?" Alfred called. He held up the tray of food. "I've just brought you something to eat."

"Save it for later, Alfred," Batman called, as he ran up the steps, taking two at a time. "I've got a lead on who the Bat creature mastermind might be, and I'm meeting with someone who may be able to give me a hand in tracking him down."

Alfred stood there in the Batcave, holding the tray of food, and let out a weary sigh. Now he would have to freeze the entrée and then reheat it whenever Master Bruce returned.

"Oh, well, this is what the microwave was invented for," Alfred muttered, as he turned around and went back up to Wayne Manor proper.

**B&B**

Dick gave the punching bag several good whacks with his fists before he stepped back and kicked it in the side. The large, heavy bag wobbled slightly from the assault, but it hung steady.

Dick back off, feeling somewhat out of breath. 'Damn, all this laying around lately has made me soft,' he realized. 'Gotta get back in shape if I'm expected to keep up with Batman.'

"That punching bag will harm no innocents ever again," Chloe said in a mock-serious tone, as she strode into the gym. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Yeah," Dick replied. He noted her outfit, which was comprised of just bare feet, pajama bottoms and a tank top. She wore it all very well. "You too?"

She nodded. "Still too wired from the night's events. Sometimes, when coming back from breaking into one of Luthor's labs, I'll be up all night."

He forgot that Chloe had some experience in this sort of thing, having fought her own battles in Metropolis. "What do you do for it?"

"I stay up all night," she replied, with a slight smirk. Chloe stepped past him on the gym mat and gave the punching bag a half-hearted slug with her fist. "Does this help?"

Dick had caught a whiff of soap and shampoo when she brushed past him. The overall fragrance was one of strawberries. She smelled very nice. "It does if I want to get tired," he said, answering her question. "What do you do? Work on your computer?"

"Well, yeah, I mean, I'm supposed to be a geek, right?" she said tartly. "And that's what us Bat Geeks do…."

Dick groaned inwardly. He never meant for her feelings to be hurt by what was supposed to be a dopey joke. "Listen, sorry about the Bat Geek crack, ok? It was just a stupid joke…but it turns out that I'm the stupid one. No hard feelings?"

Her expression instantly softened as she took his hand and gently squeezed it. "No hard feelings. I really am a geek, I suppose. Maybe that's why I got so hot under the collar about the nickname. I guess I should lighten up. Just another of my little deficiencies that I'm working on solving."

"From where I'm standing, everything about you looks just fine," Dick assured her. She was indeed an extremely good looking young woman.

Chloe appeared surprised by that. "Really?" She unconsciously adjusted one of the straps of her tank top. "I was thinking maybe I should have gotten dressed…doesn't quite feel right wandering around Wayne Manor like this."

"Don't worry about it," Dick assured her. "We don't stand on ceremony around here."

"And I'm really glad for that," Chloe muttered, as her eyes glanced down at his bare chest, which glistened with sweat from the workout.

As he grabbed a towel and rubbed himself dry, Dick noticed Chloe quickly glanced away, her face turning red. At first he denied it, thinking the sexual tension he felt between them was just his imagination. But now it was pretty obvious.

'Still, she's a friend,' he thought. 'Better just forget about it.'

When Chloe took another half-hearted shot at the punching bag, Dick seized on that as a way to quickly change the subject. "You want me to show you the proper stance?"

"Sure," she replied.

He stood beside her and showed her the proper stance to throw a punch. Chloe mimicked him as best she could, yet her feet were still out of alignment.

"I'm surprised Clark hasn't taught you self defense," Dick said, as he bent down and gently moved her feet into the proper position. Her calves felt very firm and…very nice…under his grasp.

'Stop it!' he told himself.

When Chloe spoke, it was in a nervous, high-pitched squeak. "He usually…."

She stopped herself, then took a deep breath and resumed in her normal tone: "Um, he usually just comes to the rescue whenever I'm in trouble."

"What if he's not around?" Dick asked.

"Then I'm really in trouble!" Chloe admitted.

"That sucks."

She appeared surprised once more. "Really?"

"Yeah, sure…I mean, given the infiltration jobs you do, breaking into Luthor's secret labs and whatnot, you should know a few karate moves at least. You want me to teach you some?"

Her response was breathless. "Yes."

He moved towards her. "Ok."

And the next thing Dick knew, they were both tightly embraced and kissing each other passionately.

Then, when he felt Chloe flinch slightly in his embrace, he released her. "You all right?"

"Yeah." She was still breathless. "This is probably a bad idea."

"Yeah, you're right," he reluctantly admitted. "Don't want to get Clark mad at me!"

Chloe smiled at him. "Our relationship isn't like that. Besides, he's with Lois pretty steady. I'm not seeing anybody right now. I stopped because I thought you might be involved with somebody. You are, right?"

He shook his head. "Nope."

She looked very happy to hear that. "You're single?"

"Yep." He smiled at her.

"Oh, well, in _that_ case…." Chloe reached out and drew him back into her arms.

After the intense kissing and caressing that followed, they stopped long enough to leave the gym.

They continued in bed in his private suite.

**B&B**

When Batman arrived at the dockyards, which was where they had agreed to meet, he was pleased to see The Question was already there, waiting for him. It had been a pleasant surprise to find out that not only could Batman reach the elusive Question, but that he had been working a case right here in Gotham all along.

"Good evening, Question," Batman called, as he strode up to the man.

The Question, who wore his trademark dapper suit and overcoat, tipped his hat at the Batman. "You've certainly been having a very good night, from what the local media's been saying."

"If nothing else, the Bat creature problem is solved," Batman said. "But I want the head honcho behind the operation, and I think I may have gotten a lead on him."

"Pray tell."

"Senator James Varlis."

"Really?" The Question wore a mask that blanked out his face, so reading his expression was impossible. But the tone of his voice certainly sounded excited. "How did you come by that information?"

"McHenry Air Force base went on full alert earlier tonight. They've always been on my back," Batman explained. "It turns out that they were planning on tracking me by following me while I followed the Bat creature back to its lair."

The Question nodded his head. "Yes, a sound tactical move."

"But they were called off by someone; somebody with a lot of influence. Through my research, I discovered that it was Varlis who called them off. He personally called the air base and gave the order himself."

"The very same James Varlis who has thrown a great deal of support behind the OHMR," The Question said thoughtfully. "Many consider Amanda Waller to be his protégé. When Waller was arrested by the GCPD some time back, it was Varlis who arranged for the charges to be dropped, and he personally flew Waller out of Gotham City."

Batman nodded, impressed. "You know a great deal about the OHMR."

"That's mainly why I'm here, doing a little legwork in my investigation into the OHMR." The Question shook his head. "They're turning out to be just as bad as Cadmus, Batman. But unlike Cadmus, the OHMR is more nefarious in how they're able to work within the law. Waller's a real smooth operator."

"I fought a professional cleaning crew who had been sent to raze the Bat creature compound," Batman said. "They're all in custody, now, but these bastards are pros, I know they won't talk, regardless of what threats the cops make."

"I've been monitoring communications between Waller and her subordinates," The Question said. "But there has been no inside chatter whatsoever of the Bat creature situation…which is strange, considering that her organization was created to handle meta cases like this."

"That's because she didn't want to interfere with her mentor's Bat creature [rogram," Batman said. "I know for a fact that Varlis is the one behind the Bat creature program, but I have only circumstantial evidence. And it's really not much to go on. Normally, I would just pay a visit to the bastard and try and see what information I could get out of him, however…."

"…he _is_ a United States Senator," The Question finished for him.

Batman nodded. "Precisely. The OHMR is already breathing down our necks, here; they're always watching us closely, and are primed and ready to move in on Gotham City for whatever reason, and I'm not about to give them one by personally attacking Varlis. So I'd appreciate it if you could pick up where I left off and see what you can find out about Varlis."

"It would be my pleasure. I'm glad you contacted me about this, Batman. I missed the little tidbit that it was Varlis who called off the fighters. I agree that that makes him the prime suspect. I'll see what I can find out. But you must realize that Varlis will most likely be a master at covering up his tracks."

"I'm aware of that," Batman said. "Which is why I'm prepared to take him down any way we can. If you can nail him on the Bat creature case, great. If not, I'll gladly settle for whatever other dirt you _can_ dig up on the good Senator."

"Splendid!" The Question said, sounding outright giddy. "I'll contact you as soon as I find something."

The Question turned and strolled away with a merry gait, cheerfully humming a pop song as he faded into the shadows of the abandoned docks.

Batman recognized the song The Question had been humming. It was 'Born This Way' by Lady Gaga.

'There goes a man who truly loves his work,' Batman thought, as he walked back to the waiting Prowler.

**B&B**

'God damn it,' Clayface thought, 'when is she ever going to leave that damned place?'

He spied on the Special Victim's Unit offices from atop of the gargoyle perch of the office building directly across the street from Police Headquarters. He had transformed into the shape of the gargoyle which he sat next to, making him hard to spot. Not that there were too many people were looking up this way, but Mystique had taught him, back at the OHMR facility, that it was always wise to blend in as much as possible.

He smiled slightly as he continued to watch Rachel Dawes through the SVU windows. Waller had obviously been hoping that he and Mystique would wind up being her own private assassins, and she would no doubt be royally pissed off right now. Clayface would have loved to have seen _Waller's _face the moment she learned that he had escaped.

While he was grateful for the advanced transformation training that Waller had forced Mystique to give him, Clayface was ultimately his own man, with his own axe to grind.

But that was easier said than done, lately.

Dawes just wouldn't leave police headquarters tonight. She appeared busy working on a case, or something. He could see her right now, talking with somebody…so close and yet well out of his reach.

Clayface scowled when he saw the detective who had chased him out of the District Attorney's office. He looked like a regular enough guy, but not only was he able to spot Clayface when he was undercover, but he also gave chase, flying through the air, until Clayface was well clear of the building.

'Who the hell are you?' Clayface thought, as he glared at the cop. 'What the hell are you?'

He supposed it made sense for the cops to start hiring metas. After all, what better way to fight fire than with fire?

"Oh, my God!" a voice cried out.

Clayface glanced down and saw an office worker had been taking a cigarette break by the opened window within the building he was staked out on. Clayface realized that the smoker had seen the gargoyle's head moving around…and now he saw it glance down, right at him.

The man flung his cigarette out the window as he hurriedly ran back inside.

"Damn it," Clayface thought, as he left the perch and swung down into the window.

He was still in gargoyle form when he landed in the man's office, a sight which gave the guy a panic attack that was fun for Clayface to watch.

Clayface grabbed the man before he could run out of the office and effortlessly snapped his neck with his massive stone hands. As the body fell to the floor, Clayface quickly glanced around the small office suite, but it appeared that this idiot here was the only late night worker.

'Might as well dump the body in the….'

Clayface's musings were interrupted by a slight chiming sound that came from the man's laptop, which sat on his desk. When Clayface examined the screen, he saw the man had been surfing the web. His internet provider's homepage was up, with various silly news items.

Clayface did a double take when he saw Rachel Dawes' name in a headline. It turned out that his target had accepted an offer to debate her opponent, Rodger Jerome, that plumber moron who….

'Wait a minute,' Clayface thought. He glanced back out the window, at Dawes, who was safely encounced at police headquarters across the street, as an idea began to form in his mind. 'Yes, it's perfect! Why didn't I think of this before?'

"Enjoy yourself, you silly bitch," Clayface told the distant Rachel Dawes, "because you won't have too long to live!"

**To Be Continued...**


	13. Chapter 13

_My thanks to stargaze29 for the kind words._

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Thirteen**

Lana awoke to the sound of her cell phone, which buzzed like an angry hornet on the nightstand by her bed. She picked it up and saw that she had a text message from Alex.

"Brought Francine to hospital to see hubby," the message read, "will speak to you later. A."

"What?" Lana said, as she sat up in bed in shock. "They found Dr. Kirkland?"

She reread the message, yet it offered no more specifics than when she first read it. Lana tried calling Alex, but the call went to voice mail. Then she realized that if Alex was at the hospital with Francine and Kurt Langstrom, then she would have to turn off her cell.

'I'll call her later,' she thought, getting out of bed. 'Right now, I'll check with Chloe and see if she got any more information.'

Yet no sooner did Lana open her door and place a bare foot onto the hallway floor than she had come to a dead halt.

The door to Chloe's room was wide open.

"Chloe?" Lana called, as she warily walked over to the doorway. She peered inside the room and saw the bed was still made up. It had remained unused all night. "Oh, she never even went to bed…again!"

Lana shook her head as she padded down the hallway to the stairs. Knowing Chloe, she had been geeking out on the Batcomputer all night. Not that Lana could really blame her, because that computer set up Bruce built for himself in the Batcave was truly amazing.

'But still, staying up all night like this was silly,' Lana thought, 'especially since Francine's case is basically over, now.'

Since she was dressed in pajama bottoms with a Daily Planet t-shirt, Lana felt comfortable enough to go straight down to the Batcave. Yet once she reached the main level of Wayne Manor, Lana paused when she heard voices coming from the kitchen. One of these voices sounded very familiar.

Lana strode into the kitchen…

…and stopped dead in her tracks, her mouth hanging open in shocked disbelief at the sight before her.

Chloe and Dick sat at the table by the bay windows. The first thing Lana noticed was how close they sat; their chairs were pressed so closed together, it looked like they were sharing a seat. And then there was the way they were laughing and joking around with one another.

"No, no," Chloe said, shaking her head, as Dick held up a fork-full of home fries. "We should really wait for the others."

"Fine, more for me, then," Dick said, just before he placed the home fries in his mouth.

"Oh, now, that's not fair!" Chloe said, laughing, as she made a half-hearted attempt to attack him.

But Dick easily blocked her and then made Chloe squeal with delight as he tickled her side. "Now that's _really_ not fair!" she said.

"I play dirty," Dick admitted.

"You play _very_ dirty," Chloe mock-scolded him.

"Sorry," Dick said, smiling.

"Already forgiven."

Lana watched in stunned amazement as they shared a brief kiss. She kept standing there, just staring at them, until she heard a cheery "Good morning, Ms. Lang!"

It was Alfred, who had brought a plate of food to the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I did," Lana forced herself to answer. She was still so stunned at the casually lovey-dovey manner in which Chloe cavorted with Dick that Lana almost forgot where she was.

Chloe glanced up at her with a smile. "Hey there, sleepyhead!"

"Hi," Lana replied, as she took a seat at the table next to Chloe. When she looked at her friend, Lana did a double take. She remembered seeing Chloe wearing a tank top last night. But now she wore an oversized shirt that fit her like a dress. 'Gotham U' was written across the chest, and Lana wondered when did Chloe have the time to pick this shirt up, since she had been so….

'Oh. My. God!' Lana thought, when it hit her. 'She's wearing one of _his _shirts!'

Lana stared at her friend with renewed shock, and Chloe's response was to lean over and whisper, "Not now," out of the side of her mouth. "Please…not now, ok?"

"I thought you hated him," Lana whispered in her ear.

"We…um…cleared the air," Chloe replied. "We'll talk later. I promise."

'You have a real interesting way of clearing the air,' Lana thought, as she absently took a bite out of her toast.

"Morning, all!" Olivia called, as she, Alex and Rachel entered the kitchen. They each had the weary look of having stayed up all night. Olivia abruptly checked her watch. "Or is it afternoon, yet?"

"Still morning, Liv," Alfred cheerfully replied, "and just in time for breakfast."

"Bruce still asleep?" Rachel asked, as she took a seat at the table and removed her shoes with a sigh of relief.

"Last I checked," Alfred replied. He poured her a cup of tea. "Breakfast?"

"I was hoping to speak with him," Rachel said wearily. "But that's ok. I'll talk to him later."

Lana leaned forward and said, "Alex, I got your text message. They found Dr. Kirkland?"

"Yes, thanks to a message that Bruce had left for Harvey last night," Alex said with a nod. She glanced up and smiled her thanks at Alfred as he poured her some apple juice. "Harvey had one of the bat creatures sent directly to the hospital, because it was injured, and the DNA tests came back a positive match to it being Kirkland."

"Oh my god," Lana murmured, amazed. "You said you took Francine to see him? Is he back to normal?"

Olivia shook her head. "He's still completely batty." She paused before taking a sip of her orange juice. "Um, you know what I mean."

"But it did look like he was slowly changing back," Alex insisted.

"It was probably an optical illusion, fed by your desire to see him revert to normal, Alex," Rachel said. "The doctors told us there had been no change in the few hours they've been examining him."

"I don't know," Alex persisted. "He still looked like he was slowly becoming normal to me."

"Barbra said that one of the scientists was trying to get that Bat creature to mate with her," Chloe told Lana. "But instead of raping her, it actually freed her from her bonds."

"It later helped us by attacking the Cadmus goons." Dick added. "That's what made Bruce think it might have been Dr. Kirkland. His good nature couldn't be completely erased by the bat serum."

"I just hope they can help him," Lana said with concern. "And what about Francine? Isn't she still a fugitive?"

Rachel just shrugged. "She didn't do anything wrong here in Gotham City, so we don't have a beef with her." She glanced at Olivia. "Although you told me that Francine did break into Lana's home?"

Olivia nodded as she took a bite of bacon. "She took Lana and Chloe hostage, even tied them up. She might have problems with Metropolis PD now, as well as with the OHMR."

Lana and Chloe both exchanged a knowing look, then Lana sweetly said, "Why, we have no idea what you're talking about."

"Yeah," Chloe chimed in, "Francine contacted us about this case over the phone. She was never over our house."

Olivia stopped eating for a thoughtful moment, then she shook her head. "You know, now that you mention it, I was wrong…Francine was never there. I must have been seeing things."

"And so there goes any problems Francine might have had in Metropolis," Rachel said with a smile. "She's still just wanted by the OHMR, but they're basically railroading her, anyway."

"I'll continue to hide Francine within the Underground," Alex said. "At least until we can work this mess out."

"I think I have an idea of how to do just that," Rachel told her. "I've got to make a call, later."

"Master Bruce!" Alfred said brightly. "Good to see you, sir!"

Bruce strode in still clad in pajama bottoms and a t-shirt. The moment Rachel saw him, she got out of her chair and embraced him tightly. "I was so scared when I saw you fighting that thing on TV last night!"

"I'm fine," he replied softly. He gazed at her meaningfully. "Can we talk? In private?"

"Of course."

After they left the kitchen, Alfred turned to Olivia and said, "Did you leave Detective Stabler alone at your home? He does know that he's always welcome here, doesn't he?"

"Yes, he does, Alfred. But Elliot decided to head back to New York City this morning," Olivia replied. She glanced at Alex and gave her a thumbs up. "And, by the way, I don't know what the hell you said to him, but great speech, Al."

Alex's eyes just blinked in confusion behind her glasses. "Huh? What? Why?"

Olivia just rolled her eyes in exasperation. "And here's the silver-tongue lawyer who always thinks on her feet in court…."

"I'm eating bacon," Alex said defensively. "You can't expect me to be all rational when I'm eating bacon…especially Alfred's bacon! And you know full well that I didn't get a chance to see Elliot before he left, so please tell me what happened."

"Elliot is staying on with the NYPD," Olivia announced. "And he said it was something that you told him that snapped him out of his depression."

"Bravo, Alex!" Dick said, as he led the table in a rousing applause.

"Thank you," Alex said, as she made a mini-bow while still seated at the table. "I just wish I remembered what it was I told him!"

After gazing intently, and lovingly, into Chloe's eyes, Dick abruptly said, "You know, we have that thing…."

"Oh, yes," Chloe said, as she quickly got up from her half-eaten breakfast. "You're so right! We, um, have that thing."

"What thing?" Olivia wanted to know.

"The thing that we mentioned before," Dick muttered, as he led Chloe out of the kitchen by the hand. "See you later, guys."

"Have fun!" Lana called after them with a broad smile. When she noticed the kitchen abruptly got quiet, Lana glanced up to see Alfred, Olivia and Alex were all staring expectantly at her.

"What?" she timidly asked.

"What the hell happened between those two?" Olivia asked. "I mean, am I wrong, or was Chloe wearing one of Dick's shirts?"

"That _was_ one of Dick's shirts she had on," Alex confirmed, in between bites of her bacon. "And nothing else!"

"What can I say?" Lana shrugged. "They got real busy last night."

"But how, and why?" Olivia asked. She leaned forward in a threatening manner. "If you're holding back anything really juicy from us, Lana, I swear I'll cuff you to your chair until you spill all the beans! I got the cuffs right here."

Alex suddenly stared greedily at Lana's plate. "Ooo, can I have her bacon?"

Olivia just sat back and shook her head with a chuckle. "Oh, Christ…way to spoil the intimidation tactic!"

"What?" Alex said, annoyed. "She won't be eating it anyway, since we'll be cuffing her to the chair!"

Alfred came over to Alex and placed more bacon on her plate. "Here you are, my dear. And we'll have no further talk of cuffing people to chairs in my kitchen, thank you very much!"

"Oh…all right," Olivia said with mock-disgust. "You really know how to kill the party mood, Alfred."

"I've had plenty of practice, Liv," Alfred pleasantly replied, as he refilled her orange juice.

"Hmm," Alex said, as she chewed on another strip of bacon. "Heaven…."

**B&B**

When they emerged onto the main level of the Batcave, Bruce was ready to tell Rachel just how disappointed he was that she never told him about Clayface's assault on her. He had the speech all practiced within his mind, yet when he turned to face her, Bruce's resolve melted.

She stood there, fully dressed in one of her business suits, sans shoes, and gazed at him with such love and concern in her eyes that there was only one thing that Bruce could do at that moment.

He hugged her tightly.

Her embrace was equally passionate, and when their faces brushed together, they kissed. Before he realized it, Bruce's hands were soon busy pulling off Rachel's suit jacket while they still kissed.

Rachel stood stripped down to her blouse, and her hands were busy tugging at the drawstring on his pajama bottoms when Bruce stopped her. "This probably isn't the best place for us," he said, indicating the Batcave. "You want to move this to the bedroom?"

"I don't care," she said in a whisper. "I don't need a bedroom, or a bed. I just need you."

He lifted her in his arms and brought her over to the Batcomputer, where he placed Rachel in the massive chair. She reached out and pulled off his t-shirt while he bent down and undid the buttons on her blouse.

It was when he had all of the buttons on her blouse undone that Rachel's entire body froze up in fear. Bruce saw that she stared at something in terror directly behind him.

He turned to see the Batcomputer was flashing a result of one of its red flag searches. The name was Clayface.

Bruce hit the sensor pad with his finger, clicking on the name. He quickly read through the news item…and wound up being so stunned that he read through it a second time. Rachel stood beside him and also read in disbelief about how Clayface was found dead in an alleyway by the crew of a garbage truck. The Major Case Squad was currently at the scene.

"He's dead?" Rachel finally said. She sounded like she didn't fully believe it. "Just like that, it's all over?"

"It looks that way," Bruce warily said. "But let's not celebrate just yet…."

**B&B**

Jordan Cavanaugh was about to call it a night in the mortuary when the call came down from Commissioner Gordon himself. He wanted to view the remains of Clayface.

When she hung up the phone, Jordan made a disgusted face. The dead husk of the shape-shifter formerly known as Matthew Hagen was presently interred in one of her special freezer units in the back. What made these freezer units so special was that they were extra large and armored, looking more like vaults than storage units for corpses. They were designed specifically for metas; more importantly, they were designed to contain a meta within its steel alloy walls should said meta not be actually dead.

'What a weird, wild world this has become,' Jordan thought, as she thought back to the long gone days of her old medical examiner job back in Boston. 'As strange as some of those Boston cases may have been, they can't hold a handle to the stuff I'm dealing with here in Gotham City.'

Still, Jordan had wanted a bigger challenge, and that was exactly what she got as the chief M.E. of Gotham City. The meta population here exploded just within the past few days, thanks to the all-out war in Metropolis between Magneto and police. Despite the fact that Magneto had been captured, recent events only spurred on the fascist, anti-meta campaign of the OHMR, who seemed to be getting more and more belligerent about hunting down all metas by the day.

'Whatever happened to being innocent until proven guilty?' Jordan wondered darkly. She was glad to be a member of the Gotham City Meta Underground. The metas living undercover within the nooks and crannies of this great city were just regular people whom she helped with medical care. Just today, she helped take care of some minor injuries suffered by the Powell family, who had made the arduous trek cross country from their home in California to sanctuary here in Gotham City. Looking at them, Jordan knew that they wouldn't hurt a fly, and yet they're fugitives because they're not considered to be 'normal'.

But then Jordan took one look at the reinforced freezer units, units that were designed to contain a meta should it miraculously be revived from death, and realized that, in the end, she really wasn't any better.

'The hatred and mistrust of metas is so bad we don't even trust their damned corpses,' she thought miserably. Jordan realized that this may be why she was so eager to join the cause by helping the Underground. Her services to Alex Cabot's noble group balanced the injustice that she had to deal with on a daily basis, right here at work.

"Hey, Robby, pull Hagen out, would you?" she asked the intern who was on duty in this area.

"Doing some overtime on the autopsy, Doc?" Robby asked, as he pressed a button on the freezer door.

As she watched the slab roll slowly out, Jordan almost braced herself for the horrific sight of Hagen popping up, like a scene from a bad monster flick. She usually wasn't this skittish around dead bodies. But then, Matthew Hagen wasn't your normal dead body.

'He's a creepy one,' Jordan thought, as she viewed the dead, lifeless husk before her. The eyes and mouth were just hollow sockets. 'Even in death, he's damned scary.'

Commissioner James Gordon entered the room just then. He turned to Robby and said, "Give us the room, would you?"

Before leaving, Robby glanced at Jordan with a questioning look.

"Go take a break, Robby," she told him. "I got this."

After Robby left, Gordon glared at the lifeless remains of Clayface on the slab. He gestured at the autopsy incision that Jordan had made earlier and asked, "You cut him open already?"

"Yes…well, cutting him open is the wrong choice of words for what happened," she replied. "I began the incision, then his chest just caved inwards on me. There's nothing inside!"

"Are you saying he's hollow?" a mysterious voice abruptly whispered from the shadows.

Jordan was so startled that she nearly jumped out of her own skin in fright. Gordon actually grabbed her in a comforting manner and said, "Easy, take it easy, Dr. Cavanaugh…_he's_ the reason why I asked you to pull the body out one more time tonight."

The Dark Knight emerged from the blackness that surrounded the slab and peered down at the body of Clayface with cold calculation. He momentarily glanced at Jordan and said, "Apologies for the scare, Doctor."

"N-No problem," Jordan said, still feeling rattled. She took a breath and tried to compose herself as best she could. "Um…yeah, the body is completely hollow within. I found no internal organs, nor were there any muscles, nor any mass whatsoever inside."

"This _is_ Clayface, is it not?" Batman asked. He never took his eyes off the corpse.

Jordan nodded. "The skin I removed matches samples taken after he was arrested. I mean, it was a perfect match: ninety-nine percent. This is Matthew Hagen."

"Any news on how he died?" Batman asked Gordon.

"The MCS searched every inch of the alleyway they found him in," Gordon replied. "There were no signs of a struggle, or a battle. None of the people who lived and worked nearby heard nor saw a fight. From all accounts, it looked like he just keeled over dead."

"That makes sense," Jordan added. "I've seen Hagen's interrogation, the one the MCS did after he was originally arrested, and Hagen mentioned that he got his powers by falling into a vat of unknown chemicals!" Jordan shook her head dismally. "Quite frankly, gentlemen, I'm amazed he survived this long!"

Batman said nothing. Instead he made a fist and smashed it into Hagen's face. Hagen's entire head collapsed into dozens of small pieces of rubble on the slab. In addition to being hollow, Clayface's body was now headless.

"Satisfied?" Gordon asked the Batman. "You can't get any deader than that!"

The Batman merely stared grimly at him and replied, "They once thought the Joker was dead. See how well _that_ assumption turned out?"

"Yeah…point taken," Gordon said with a weary sigh.

"You can't be serious," Jordan said to Gordon. "You really think Hagen's going to just get up from that slab?"

"I'm saying that maybe we should just keep the body on ice and under tight security, doctor," Gordon told her. He looked over at the Batman. "Wouldn't you agree…?"

Jordan's eyes went wide with shock when she saw the Batman was gone. She instinctively glanced under the table, then looked around the room, but she could not find him anywhere. "How does he do that?"

"Believe me, I wish I knew." Gordon pointed at Clayface's body. "But, in a world where a man can vanish before our eyes, is it so hard to believe that this thing can't just get up and take a midnight stroll through Gotham City?"

"Point taken," Jordan said, as she quickly sealed-up the body within the vault-like freezer. "I'll double the guard right away. After all, the last thing we need is a monster lurking about, right?"

"You forget that this is Gotham City, Doctor," Gordon said, as he walked out of the room, "monsters, both human and otherwise, are just a part of the nightly scene, here."

"So is the Batman," Jordan called after him. "And thank God for that!"

**B&B**

When James Varlis arrived at his country home, he was irritated, annoyed and just plan angry. The Night Flier program was one of the biggest disasters he had ever had the misfortune of being involved with. There were basically two small things for him to be grateful for: that Braddock and the other captured men would not implicate him, and that the whole damn mess was over and done with.

'But my beef with Batman is far from over,' Varlis thought, as he strode into the foyer. 'Somehow, someway, I am going to get that son of a bitch, and then we'll see who has the last laugh!'

Varlis had given his butler the night off because he wanted the house to himself tonight. Well, it wouldn't be completely all his own. Sasha had texted him, stating that she was waiting for him in the bedroom upstairs, just as Varlis had commanded.

Normally Sasha would meet him in a special little hideaway that Varlis had rented under an assumed name. But there was the threat of an early snowstorm tonight, and he really didn't feel like making the extra trip out to the hideaway place. Besides, if Varlis didn't feel secure in his own castle, then what was the point, anyway?

He burst into the bedroom suite, removing his topcoat and scarf and tossed them on the floor. Sasha, a young woman of twenty two, waited for him in a subservient kneeling position on the floor. Completely nude, her blond hair was tied back into a simple ponytail and she wore a black leather collar around her neck.

"Pick them up!" he commanded her.

"Yes, Master," she replied, as she quickly picked up the clothing he had shorn and put them away.

She returned from the closet and began to kneel once more before him, until Varlis grabbed Sasha by her collar and held her naked body close to his own. "I've had a bad day, today," he told her in a dark whisper. "Hell, I've had a really bad week!"

"I am sorry, Master," Sasha sincerely said. Her eyes were always cast downwards, just as he wanted.

"You'd better be sorry, you little bitch," Varlis said, as he shoved her facedown on the bed. "Because I'll be taking it all out on you!"

"Yes, Master," Sasha said obediently. "Whatever you desire, Master."

Varlis took a moment to leer over her gorgeous, lean body.

Then he reached for the handcuffs.

**B&B**

The Question leaned forward in his seat, his eyes fixated on the horrendous sight before him on the monitor. That poor young woman could easily have been Varlis' daughter, and yet the things he did to her were downright unspeakable.

Despite the unbearable scene that passed for sex that unfolded before him on screen, The Question could not help but feel a twinge of satisfaction. The Question had located Varlis' regular meeting place with his hired sex slave Sasha, and rigged that house up with surveillence equipment in the hopes of catching Varlis in the act. But now The Question was grateful that he had went through the trouble of also wiring Varlis' regular country home as well. It appeared the good senator decided to heed the weather reports that warned of snow. After all, he may be a greedy, sadistic bastard, but he wasn't stupid.

The Question slowly shook his head at the atrocity on the screen, the atrocity that was now being recorded for all posterity.

"My dear Senator," he whispered, "you are _such_ a naughty boy…."

The Question pulled out the keyboard from his console, switched on a second monitor, and wrote a brief note to the Batman.

'Got him,' it read, and was simply signed, 'Q'.

**B&B**

Several days later, Rachel quietly watched the little TV in the back seat of her limo as Senator Varlis gave his farewell speech to his now former comrades in the Senate. A few days ago, the senator's lengthy and powerful career had come to a screeching halt when a torrid and lewd video of him having rough sex with a much younger woman surfaced on the internet. It was scandalous enough, but for Varlis, who had prided himself on being a self-righteous watchdog of American morality, the video was also hysterically funny, as well.

Yet Rachel was not in any mood tonight to savor the downfall of the mentor of Amanda Waller. She had just left the live debate between her and Rodger Jerome, her last remaining challenger who wasn't killed outright. As Vince had confidently predicted all week, Rachel had made swift work of Jerome, who was completely inexperienced in the law. It had gotten so bad for Jerome during the debate that he began to stumble badly in his answers to some rather pointed questions about the law; the very same questions which Rachel had answered with confidence and ease.

When Rachel stepped off the stage, she had accomplished her mission to expose her opponent as being a man who was vastly inexperienced for the job. And when Vince giddily showed her the online approval ratings, which displayed her as having a comfortable lead over Jerome, Rachel just smiled and nodded.

But the fact of the matter was, Rachel had felt bad about verbally vivisecting Jerome in front of an audience like she just did. The rational part of her mind realized why she had to do it; she needed to preserve her job, after all. But in her heart, Rachel felt sick and disgusted.

The problem was that Rodger Jerome was an honest, sincere man who truly wanted to bring change to Gotham City. And although it was important to the overall salvation of the city, as well as to Batman's never-ending efforts to save it, for Rachel to keep her job, that didn't mean she enjoyed cutting a genuinely decent man down in front of tens of thousands of TV viewers.

'Politics suck,' she thought, and not for the first time in her career. She had taken over the job after the vicious assault on Harvey Dent, which transformed him into the mad-dog Two Face, and so this was actually Rachel's first time at running for office.

When she recalled that her original opponent, Thomas Enrick, was killed by the Joker, Rachel realized that nothing in Gotham City remained untouched by the bizarre criminal underworld that festered within this town.

'All the more reason to keep on fighting,' she grimly told herself, 'and sometimes, we have to do things that we don't want to do for the greater good….'

Olivia began giggling incessantly as she sat next to Rachel on the back seat of the limo, intently watching Varlis' speech. "You believe this frigging guy?" she asked. "He's asking his colleges to resume the fight for morality! Where was _his _morality when he was riding that poor girl like a slobbering beast? The sanctimonious prick!"

Rachel had to shake her head in disgust at the hypocrisy of a so-called God fearing man who advocated censorship of all forms of media because of sex and violence, only to wind up being a wild-eyed maniac who went medieval on a young girl in the bedroom. It was really an ingenious idea of Bruce's to sic The Question on this phony bastard. She shuddered at the memory of watching that video, at seeing the humiliating tortures that poor girl went through.

"What about that girl?" Alex, who sat next to Olivia, asked. "Is she all right?"

Olivia nodded. "The cops in that area tracked her down. Apparently, she's a pro who's been very well paid by Varlis."  
>"And she's not saying a word," Rachel guessed.<p>

"You got it." Olivia went back to snickering at Varlis' speech.

But Alex gave Rachel a concerned look. "Are you all right? For somebody who just trounced the competition tonight, you seem awfully glum."

"I know I won a big victory," Rachel said with a sigh. "And the election, barring any real disaster, is in the bag. But I feel like I've just kicked a puppy, you know?"

Olivia nodded. "Yeah, Jerome really looked lost there tonight. But _he_ was the one who demanded this debate, remember that."

"One shouldn't take up the call for arms if one isn't prepared to deal with the consequences," Alfred said from the driver's seat of the limo they rode in.

"I realize that." Rachel shook her head. "But he was really a babe in the woods, and I basically shoved him over a cliff…."

Alex shifted in her seat so that she stared straight at Rachel. "He had no business being in the woods in the first place. You proved that to the voters tonight. You're one of the best things that ever happened to this city, Rachel. And everyday you remain in office gives this city a fighting chance."

"I rather thought Batman was the best thing that ever happened to Gotham City."

"He is," Olivia said. "Believe me, he really is. But were it not for you, or Commissioner Gordon, or Mayor Garcia, life would be really hard for Batman. As Bruce always says, 'we're all working as a team, here.' And you're an invaluable member of that team, Rach. If you ever doubt that, just think of what life would be like if Jerome had won."

Rachel smiled. "You're speaking like the election is over."

"It is, as far as I'm concerned. Congratulations." When Olivia shifted in her seat, she made an annoyed face at the bulky weapon that was under her shoulder. "And I'll be glad when I no longer have to wear this damned thing!"  
>"You wearing a special gun?" Alex asked.<p>

Olivia nodded, as she pulled open her jacket for her and Rachel to see. "It's a taser. But a much more powerful one that Bruce had me wear, just in case Clayface came after Rachel at the debate tonight. But Play-Doh Boy never showed. Guess that bastard really is dead, huh?"

"In addition to increasing the guards, Jordan actually had a surveillance camera installed inside the freezer where Clayface's body is," Alex told them. "And, so far, there's been no moment on the body at all."

"Well, what do ya know?" Olivia said with a smile at both Rachel and Alex. "It looks like things are finally going our way for a change!"

"Dare we hope?" Alex asked with a grin.

"I'm willing to give it a shot," Rachel said, smiling.

"It's about high time things went our way," Alfred said from the driver's seat. He pulled the limo into the main drive of Wayne Manor. "I think we've more than earned it."

Rachel waved at J'onn and Katie, who had followed them in their squad car, as they turned around and began their drive back to Gotham City.

"Those two are living together, now, aren't they?" Rachel casually asked Olivia.

She nodded as they walked up to the front doors. "Yeah, they're pretty tight, now. It's really sweet."

Rachel was about to open the doors when they were abruptly swung open by Barbra, who gave them a stunned look. "How long has this been going on?"

This was the very first time Babs had been back with them since her kidnapping ordeal, and Rachel was extremely pleased to see her again. Barbra had changed out of her school clothes and was now comfortably clad in just jeans and a t-shirt that read: 'Kiss me, I'm Irish!'

"How long has _what _been going on?" Olivia asked, as they entered the foyer.

"This creepy thing between Dick and Chloe," Barbara said in a horrified whisper.

Rachel, along with Olivia and Alex, couldn't help but burst into laughter at Barbara's reaction to the latest news.

"You think it's funny, but all day today Chloe's been talking about how Dick is her Sweetie Pie," Barbra said with a look of disgust. "It's making me wish I was back with the bat creatures!"

"Babs! Don't say that!" Rachel chided her, as Olivia and Alex laughed even harder. "I didn't know Chloe was still here."

"Lana returned to Metropolis," Barbra reported, "but Chloe stayed behind so she can make goo-goo eyes at her Boy Wonder! Are we sure their brains haven't been taken over by some kind of an alien influence, or something?"

"Yeah, Chloe, how about it?" Olivia abruptly asked. "Your brain's feeling ok?"

"I'm fine," Chloe said pleasantly, as she descended the steps. Barefoot, she was clad in a stylishly black workout outfit of exercise pants and a sports bra. She had a towel slung over one bare shoulder. "But I have this strange urge to suck out Barbra's brains, though…."

"Oh, please," Barbra said, with a roll of her eyes, as Chloe jokingly held out her hands towards her in a horror movie monster pose.

"Batman and Robin are coming back from the city," Chloe told Barbra. "Want to meet them with me in the Batcave? I was thinking of working out with my 'Boy Wonder' in the gym. You could join us, if you promise not to act too bratty."

"Yeah, I'll meet them with you, but I can't make any promises about joining you guys in the gym," Barbra said, as she started walking with Chloe to the Batcave. "Not if you're gonna start acting weird on me…."

"No weirdness," Chloe promised, smiling.

"I wonder what Dick will think of his new nickname?" Alex asked. "Boy Wonder?"

Chloe paused by the doorway to glance back at them. "Well, I can say from experience that the nickname fits. Take it from me: he really _is _a Boy Wonder!"

"Oh, Gawd!" Barbra moaned, amidst another laughing fit from the women, as she let a grinning Chloe pull her through the doorway. "Somebody kill me now!"

**B&B**

Alfred parked the limo in the garage, where it joined a large collection of other vehicles, and hurriedly closed the car door and left, shutting off the lights. He had heard a tremendous outburst of laughter coming from down the hall, and was eager to see what all the good cheer was about.

Yet once he left the garage, the front bumper of the limo that Alfred had just driven began to buckle and bend all by itself.

And then, without warning, the bumper suddenly fell off of the front grill of the limo and writhed and wiggled on the garage floor.

Then the bumper changed shape, and color, as it arose to a height of six feet. A head formed, as did arms, and two legs.

Once he was fully formed, Clayface smiled broadly as he walked out of the garage, headed for the sounds of laughter, as he turned his hands into spiked clubs.

'It's party time,' he thought, as his smile grew into a large grin.

**...to be concluded in the next and final chapter.**


	14. Chapter 14

_My hearty thanks to those of you who were kind enough to review this story. _

**Batman & Benson 7**

**Chapter Fourteen**

Mystique had taught him very well. Yet there were many things that she could not teach him; things that only Clayface could do, such as shed his outer bulk like a snake and leave it to be found in an alleyway. Clayface wanted to be nothing more than the new crime lord of Gotham City, and in order for that to happen, he needed to kill the Batman. Yet he knew, in dealing with the Batman, that he dealt with a cunning adversary. And in order to strike the killing blow at the Gotham City DA, who was one of Batman's greatest allies, Clayface would have to be just as cunning.

He strode silently through Wayne Manor, looking for the source of the laughter he'd heard while reforming himself in the garage. He was looking forward to ending that laughter, forever. Clayface paused when he saw an elderly man in a butler suit walk past him in the hallway ahead.

He changed his hands to long, thin blades, which were perfect for stabbing. It sounded like there were a lot of people here, and if Clayface was going to get them all, he would have be make the first few kills as quietly as possible.

Then he stopped dead when he saw Rachel Dawes. Dressed in a snazzy business suit, she had momentarily stepped into view, still laughing from whatever stupid joke she had with the others before. To avoid being seen, Clayface had plastered himself up against the wall, literally.

"I don't think Dick is ever going to live down this new nickname, Alfred," she said, giggling. "Boy Wonder?"

"I think Mr. Grayson will handle this new nickname with his usual aplomb," the butler replied. "Did Chloe and Barbra leave?"

"They just went downstairs to greet Bruce and Dick In the Batcave," Rachel told him. "I'm going for a quick swim, Alfred."

"Very well, Miss Rachel."

Rachel Dawes then turned and left.

Clayface remained plastered to the wall, his skin the same color as the wallpaper that he covered, until he slowly peeled himself off and resumed his normal Clayface shape, which wasn't as big and bulky as usual, thanks to his skin-shedding trick. It would take him some time to rebuild the extra mass. But Clayface wasn't really thinking about that right now.

All he thought about was one word that Dawes had said: Batcave.

'What the hell?' he wondered in confusion.

**B&B**

When Batman descended the steps from the Prowler hanger with Robin, they were greeted by a nice sight: Chloe and Barbra. Chloe wore a fashionable black workout ensemble while Babs was clad in a casual outfit of jeans with another of her T-shirts with a silly saying on it. He noted how Chloe stood with one arm over Babs' shoulder in an affectionate gesture, yet Barbra stood noncommittally with her arms crossed in front of her.

"Clayface didn't show his big ugly mug at the debate, huh?" Barbra asked.

"No," Batman replied. He almost felt annoyed that the debate had gone without a hitch. He felt certain that Clayface would make his move tonight.

"Looks like he really might be dead, Batman," Robin said. Then he smiled as Chloe came over and gave him a welcoming kiss. "Hey, you."

Batman took notice of the repulsive look Barbra gave them as they hugged and kissed.

"I was thinking of doing a workout in the gym," Chloe told Dick, who had removed his Robin mask, "and was wondering if you'd care to join me."

"I could use it," he said.

Chloe glanced hopefully at Barbra. "Babs? You coming?"

But Barbra quickly shook her head. "No, I've got to take a look at the…um….."

When she paused, fumbling to find the right words, Batman quickly came to Barbra's rescue. "I asked her to help me with some research on the Batcomputer. You two go ahead. It won't take long."

Batman and Barbra went through the motions of sitting down before the Batcomputer and calling up the search function. Behind them, Batman saw that Chloe had waited patiently outside Dick's private dressing chamber while he changed into his own set of workout clothes. Once he emerged, Barbra looked disgusted while she listened as Dick and Chloe laughed and joked in the familiar way that only new-found lovers can.

Once they were finally alone in the Batcave, Bruce removed his Batman mask and softly asked, "Are you all right?  
>Barbra sat on the stool next to him, her bare feet wrapped around the stool's legs, her hands tightly gripping the seat, and with a lost look on her face. "No, not really. I mean, I don't know why I'm acting like such an idiot. But just seeing those two together like that is driving me crazy!"<p>

"I hope you don't mean that you hate Chloe…."

"No, no…I like her, a lot!" Barbra shook her head. "She's been nothing but very sweet to me, as always. I guess, deep down, I'm mad at myself. Which is weird, because…I never really thought about him like this…until now, when he's no longer available. Does this sound crazy?"

"It sounds perfectly normal, Barbra. You just…."

He was interrupted by the sound of the comm in his Batman cowl going off. Frowning in puzzlement, Batman put the cowl back on, and said, "Yes?"

He heard Olivia's frantic voice: "Batman, Clayface is here! He's in Wayne Manor!"

"Damn it!" Batman snarled. "Where are you?"

"In the kitchen with Alfred," she replied. "I'm gathering everybody up. We're going after Rachel, now. Alfred says she went swimming."

"We'll meet you at the pool." Batman glanced down at Barbra and grimly said, "He's here. Somehow, Clayface got inside the mansion."

"Oh, dear Gawd!" Barbra cried.

"Come with me," Batman said, and with that they both left the Batcave.

**B&B**

"Oh, damn it," Olivia said, as she paused on the second story balcony. She was just about to go with Alex to their private apartment suite here in Wayne Manor when Olivia suddenly realized she had forgotten her cell phone. "Left something in the car, you go ahead, Al."

"Can't it wait till you go back downstairs later?" Alex asked.

Olivia shook her head. "It's my cell. Besides," she added, pulling her jacket open to reveal the taser gun, "I also forgot to put this away in the Batcave. I'll be right back."

When Olivia reached the main level of Wayne Manor, she wondered if it wouldn't just be quicker if she put the taser away in the Batcave first. But then she realized that the garage was closer, and so she went to get her cell phone, first.

Olivia entered the garage and strolled right up to the Bentley that they had all just been riding in…and then she came to a sudden halt and stared in shock at the car.

The entire front bumper of the Bentley was missing.

'That is frigging weird,' Olivia thought, as she closely examined the front end of the car. She remembered seeing the front bumper on the car when she got into it with Rachel and Alex after the debate was over. And if it had fallen off on the ride over here, they would have all noticed it. So that meant that the bumper would have fallen off right here, right after Alfred had parked it.

'But where the hell is it?' Olivia wondered, as she looked around the garage floor for the bumper. 'Looks like the damn thing just fell off the front of the car, hit the floor, and then crawled away to….'

"Oh, shit," Olivia whispered, as icy fingers of fear ran up her spine. "Oh, holy shit!"

After getting her cell from the car, she ran into the kitchen, the taser in her hand, and found a puzzled looking Alfred staring at her. "If you'd like a change in the menu, Liv, you could just _tell_ me," he said, jokingly. "No need to draw your gun…."

"He's here, Alfred," Olivia whispered to him. "Clayface is here, somewhere, in the Mansion. He snuck in while riding on the front of the car."

"Dear Lord," Alfred said, shocked. "You mean he rode on the bumper?"

"I mean he _was_ the frigging bumper, Alfred," Olivia said. "Where's Rachel?"

"She said she would go swimming."

"Come on, let's go find her."

As they briskly walked to the pool, Olivia called Alex on her cell, and was happy to hear that she was safely ensconced in their suite. Olivia told her to lock herself inside their bedroom and get the extra gun that that she kept in their safe. Olivia then called Bruce, using the special hotline that she had on her cell.

When he answered, she filled him in on everything. Bruce said they would meet with them at the pool.

Yet once she reached the pool, Olivia was horrified at the sight that lay within. 'Oh, Holy Christ!' she thought with terror.

**B&B**

Rachel stood at the edge of the pool. Clad only in a simple black bikini, she raised her arms out and dove into the glittering water. The swim felt fantastic, both physically and mentally. As she did several laps back and forth, it almost felt very cleansing in a strange way. Her memories of the debate began to fade away. Olivia and Alex were right; she did what she had to in order to remain in the job. If Jerome had actually won, he would have been a disaster, despite his best intentions.

'Time to just get over it and move on,' Rachel thought, as she completed her last lap. She swam to the edge and reached for the towel that she had left there. Water had gotten in her eyes, which made it hard to see, so Rachel patted around on the ground with her eyes still closed.

A rough hand grabbed her wrist and effortlessly yanked Rachel up out of the pool. As she rapidly blinked her eyes clear, a terrified Rachel found herself staring right into Matthew Hagen's visage, which looked to be made of stone.

The stone face cracked a smile at her. "Hope you enjoyed your swim, bitch."

He then swirled her around and slammed Rachel roughly up against the wall, face-forward, keeping her arms pinned together above her head. "Cause it's the last one you'll ever have," Clayface whispered right into her ear. "But before I end you, tell me something: what's the Batcave?"

In response, Rachel just burst into tears.

**B&B**

"Can't get a clear shot at him," Olivia whispered at Batman, once he arrived with Barbra. They all warily stood in the doorway of the vast pool room. "If I shoot him now, Rachel will also get the full charge."

Batman glanced at Barbra. "Go to the gym, get Dick over here."

Barbra nodded and silently ran off.

"Once he's clear of Rachel, hit him with the taser," Batman told Olivia. "I'll keep his attention directed off of you."

With that he sped down the hallway, to the second pool entrance on the other side. Olivia saw what Batman was trying to do; by coming in through that door, he would draw Clayface's attention away from her. Olivia kicked off her shoes, so that she could be more quiet when she snuck up on Clayface, and waited for her cue.

"What's the Batcave?" Clayface demanded of Rachel. "Tell me, now!"

"It's my secret lair that's hidden beneath this Manor," Batman said, as he strode up to Clayface.

Clayface stared at him in shock, and Olivia used this moment to get into position. Leaving Alfred by the door, she walked right up behind Clayface, her bare feet silent on the floor, and aimed the super taser right at him.

But although Clayface was taken aback at the sudden appearance of Batman, he still held a weeping Rachel firmly within his grip.

'C'mon, you frigging doughboy,' Olivia frantically thought, 'let her go!'

"Well, well," Clayface said. "Bruce Wayne is Batman's benefactor! Once she hears this, Waller will be as happy as a pig in shit!"

"I've got something much better for you to tell Waller," Batman said. Then he removed the cowl, exposing his face. "I'm Bruce Wayne, and I'm not Batman's benefactor, I _am_ the Batman!"

"Holy shit!" a genuinely startled Clayface said.

And in that moment, he finally released Rachel, who collapsed to the floor.

'Now!' Olivia thought.

She pressed the trigger, and twin darts connected to wires shot out from the taser, which instantly delivered over one hundred thousand volts of electricity directly into Clayface's body.

Clayface roared in agony as his back arched in pain from the electricity that coursed through his body. He appeared to actually be melting. He turned and ran in a panicky attempt to flee. But he headed straight for the pool.

Olivia watched, stunned, as Clayface fell into the water. Once he did, she flung the taser gun in after him.

Bruce grabbed her from behind and held Olivia down as the pool water flashed brilliantly; the electricity briefly surged through it like a live wire.

And then it was over.

Bruce got up and went over to a sobbing, shaking Rachel, whom he hugged tightly.

Dick appeared next to Olivia and asked, "You all right?"

"Yeah, better than Clayface is," she replied. Olivia stared at the cloudy brown puddle in the middle of the pool, which appeared to be all that was left of Clayface.

Olivia glanced back at Rachel and saw that Alfred had given her a robe to wear. She appeared more calmer, being in Bruce's arms, but Rachel was still extremely rattled.

Speaking of rattled, Barbra and Chloe both stood hugging each other, their skin pale and eyes wide with shock. Dick went over and hugged the both of them within his arms.

Alex meekly peeked into the doorway, with Olivia's extra gun, a Smith-Wesson .38, in her hands. "Is everything all right?" she nervously called.

"It's over," Olivia said, as she walked up to her lover.

Alex quickly secured her gun by putting the safety on and tucking it into her handbag. Then she regarded the scene before her with wide eyes behind her glasses. "What the hell happened?"

"Clayface was here," Olivia said, as she wearily gave Alex a hug. "He came so close, Alex. He came _so_ frigging close!"

**B&B**

Amanda Waller was working at her desk in her newly refurbished office at the OHMR facility in Metropolis when she received a call from the security counter in the lobby downstairs. "Yes?"

"There's a man to see you, Ma'am," said Deidre. She was one of the new recruits to the OHMR security team, and a real go-getter. Waller liked her, and was already considering promoting her.

"Does he have an appointment?"

"No, ma'am. But he claims to know you. His name is James Varlis."

A slow smile spread across Waller's lips as she visually confirmed on the security monitor what Deidre had just said. "Hold him there," Waller ordered. "I'm coming down."

When Waller arrived at the lobby, she was amused to see the angry look on Varlis' face as he stood flanked by two burly security guards. Deidre stood nearby, with a hand hovering over her taser, just in case.

"Amanda, what the hell is this?" Varlis demanded, once he saw her.

"Is there something we can help you with, Mister Varlis?" Waller coolly asked.

"You can start by telling me why did you had me stopped at the front door like a common criminal," Varlis said, enraged. "Take me to your office right now. We have a lot of work to do!"

"I can not do that, Mister Varlis."

He glared at her. "Why the hell not?"

"Because, _Mister _Varlis, you no longer have the proper security clearance to be permitted access within this facility," Waller said coldly.

If looks could kill, then the look that Varlis just gave her would have decapitated Waller right there on the spot. "You do not want to play this game, Waller. Either you let me in, or…."

Waller glanced at the guards who stood on either side of Varlis and commanded, "Remove him, now."

"You stinking, rat-faced BITCH!" Varlis roared, as the guards both grabbed him roughly by the arms. "You shit-eating WHORE!"

Waller just smiled serenely at him. "Why Mr. Varlis, you of all people should know that a good Christian should never curse."

"I made you!" Varlis shouted at the top of his lungs, as the security guards hauled him off. "And I can destroy you! Do you hear me, you bitch? DO YOU HEAR ME?"

"Go ride one of your little pony girls, you hypocritical bastard," Waller muttered. She turned to Deidre and added, "That man is persona non grata, you understand?"

Deidre nodded. "Very good, Ma'am."

As she walked back to her office, Waller took a moment to admire the new construction work that would expand this facility to three times its former size. Thanks to the failed mutant revolt in Metropolis, and the fear it caused of the Meta population, Congress had automatically increased the budget of the OHMR by a tenfold. And now they were working on greatly expanding its powers.

'I no longer need Varlis,' she thought, as she resumed walking down a hallway towards the meta pens. 'The OHMR is as powerful as it needs to be, with plenty of support and backing from Washington…and I owe it all to one man.'

She paused outside the jail cell of Magneto. Looking through the Plexiglas viewer, she saw that the former leader of the Brotherhood of Mutants sat at a table reading a book. His entire cell, including every last little item on the table, was made of plastic. For good measure, the hallway outside and the two adjoining cells had also been converted to all plastic.

Unfortunately, he was only a temporary prisoner here; Homeland Security had claimed the mutant as their own prisoner and allowed the OHMR to hold him for the time being, until a more permanent jail could be constructed to hold Magneto long term. But at least Waller got the bastard under lock and key in her own house for a while.

Magneto momentarily glanced up at her. "Come to gloat over me once again, Ms. Waller?"

'Even while caged like an animal, he's still so damned insufferable,' Waller thought. 'Let's see if I can knock that smug look off of his face.'

"I've come to thank you, Erik," she said sweetly. "Your failed insurrection has not only guaranteed the existence of the OHMR, but we're even grown in size and strength. New laws are now even being proposed concerning the handling of metas. And these laws will be enforced solely by the OHMR."

Magneto put the book down and leaned back in his chair. "You stupid woman," he said casually. "What happened in Metropolis was Fort Sumter, the opening salvo of a war that has just begun in earnest. You may have caught me, but there are many others out there, including Mystique, who will carry on my work until the rightful rulers of this planet finally vanquish you homo sapiens. And I promise that, despite your smug attitude today, I shall still show you mercy in the end. Don't worry, your death will be quick and painless."

"We shall see, Erik, we shall see."

"Indeed we shall, my dear Ms. Waller."

Waller turned on her heel and left, feeling a little flustered. After she was well enough away from Magneto, she said, "Damn that obnoxious son of a bitch!"

When she saw Dr. Hugo Strange working in the research lab, Waller decided to pay him a visit. "How's the patient today, Doctor?"

"Moving around," Strange reported. He sounded excited. "Much more than ever before, I might add! He's showing great progress!"

"Outstanding." Waller glanced down at the little slug-like creature that writhed around in a glass-enclosed pen set within the table. This creature had grown from a skin specimen that they had taken from Clayface, back when he was still a prisoner here.

'Wonder where the hell the original went?' Waller mused. After training him to be a better shape-shifter, she had been planning to set Clayface loose, in the direction of Gotham City and the Batman, when Erik's assault on her facility did that job for her. It worked out much better, because now neither she nor the OHMR received any blame for Clayface's escape.

But, all this time later, the Batman was still stalking Gotham City, while her shape-shifting assassin was nowhere to be seen. As the days went on without hearing from him, Waller realized that the chances that Clayface may well have been defeated by the Batman only increased. Either that, or she had underestimated Clayface's wrath, and he simply took off for the hills. No matter what happened, it looked as if her little side plan to assassinate the Dark Knight had failed.

'Oh well, if at first you don't succeed,' Waller thought. She glanced down with affection at the little wiggling slug-like creature. 'Try, try again….'

**B&B**

"What's up?" Olivia asked, as she emerged from the elevator and strode into the Batcave proper.

Bruce did a double take at the bikini she wore. Olivia's hair was also wet and slicked back. "Sorry, did I interrupt your swim?"

"Well, it was more of a retrieval job," Olivia said. She held up the taser gun. "Of this. We accidentally left it in the pool. Thought I should get it out."

"Thanks, Sis, but you didn't have to," Bruce said. "I'm planning on draining the pool and having it razed, anyway."

"The place is still causing bad memories for Rachel?"

Bruce nodded. "Can't say I blame her. Besides, I already met with the contractor who's building the new indoor pool. It'll be on the south side of the Mansion, and will be even better than the old pool."

"Looking forward to it. But I get the feeling that's not the real reason you called me down here."

Bruce brought up a news item that recently appeared online. 'Stonewell Diamonds stolen from Museum,' the headline read.

Olivia frowned as she read some of the article. "They say the diamonds were stolen by a phantom?"

"Someone who, as soon as they entered the museum, somehow knocked out all of the surveillance technology," Bruce said. "And then, once they left, the equipment came back online. Sound familiar?"

"It sounds like the blocker discs that Lucius created for you," Olivia said. Then her eyes grew wide when the realization struck. "Catwoman! She stole your blocker disc when we were at the Night Flier facility!"

Bruce nodded ruefully. "And now she's using it to pull off her heists, making her practically invisible."

"God damn it," Olivia muttered, ticked off. "Just when you think she's on the side of the angels, she goes back to being a little devil. You going out after her?"

"I'll scout around for her later, but knowing her, Catwoman's already long gone out of town," Bruce replied.

He caught Olivia staring warily at the enclosed dish that contained the remains of Clayface. The cloudy, murky water had been wet-vacuumed out of the pool and placed within this sealed container, where Bruce had kept on eye on it for the past few days. Whenever someone wasn't here, the remains of Clayface were monitored carefully by a video camera and other sensors that detected heat, as well as the slightest sign of movement.

"Still no sign of life from putty boy?" she asked.

Bruce shook his head. "Nothing. In fact, I was just about to discard the container."

"Looks like the fake death that Clayface set up for himself turned out to be true after all," Olivia said. "Hey, something's been bothering me."

"If you're concerned about killing him, don't be," Bruce told her. "Clayface would have killed Rachel, me, and everybody else, had you not shot him when you did, Liv."

"I know, and good riddance to the bastard," Olivia said. "But that's not what's bothering me. It's just that I was really surprised at the kick that the taser gun had. I knew it had a far more powerful voltage than the usual tasers, but I was amazed to see it nuke Clayface the way it did."

"Lucius designed the new taser gun to fight Clayface in his usual, bulky form, but when Clayface shed his skin in an attempt to make us think he was dead, he also greatly decreased his body mass," Bruce explained. "Whereas he was able to survive the last time I jolted him with a major charge of electricity, apparently this time he lacked the extra body mass that would have protected him."

Olivia just shook her head with a smirk. "The best laid plans, huh? Nice to see the bad guys can have their really awkward 'oops' moments, too."

Bruce picked up the enclosed container and placed it within the incinerator, where everything was burnt to smoldering cinders, thanks to a brief, violent flash of two thousand degree heat.

"That reminds me, Alex spoke with Jordan," Olivia said. "She's having the Clayface husk cremated, as well. Oh, and Alex was apparently right."

"About what?"

"Kirk Langstrom is slowly reverting back to normal," Olivia replied with a smile. "So are the members of the Suicide Squad who volunteered to be Bat creatures. Apparently the serum they used dodn't last as long as they'd hoped."

Bruce nodded, pleased to hear that Kirk Langstrom was becoming human again. This was doubly good news for his wife, Francine, who recently had all charges against her dropped by a federal judge. It became clear that the OHMR was railroading her, and when the noted civil rights attorney Elijah Trellis, who represented Francine in the case, pushed for the feds to present their evidence in court, the case stalled. With the OHMR unable, or unwilling, to present any evidence, the judge dismissed the case.

'It was a stroke of genius on Rachel's part to ask Trellis to represent Francine,' Bruce thought. 'His clout and savvy showmanship brought the case to a speedy close.'

"The only problem is, nobody remembers anything," Olivia said with a sigh. "Which is good news for Kirk, but bad news for us with the professional goon squad who volunteered to be Bat creatures. They may be unreliable as witnesses against Varlis and the OHMR."

"I get the feeling that, even if they _were_ reliable witnesses, even if they did remember everything, it wouldn't matter, because the OHMR would have covered its tracks far too well in any case."

"So we're right back to square one, once again," Olivia said with annoyance. "Waller sent that bastard to kill all of us, and there's nothing we can do about it!"

Bruce placed his hands on her shoulders. "There _was _something that you did. You stopped that bastard cold, Sis. Thanks to you, Waller's plan was foiled."

"No, _we_ stopped him," she corrected him. Olivia shook her head. "I'll never forget his reaction when you pulled off the damned cowl and told him who you truly were!"

"I was willing to do whatever it took to protect Rachel, and the rest of you," he solemnly said. "I'll do anything to protect my family. And, as far as the OHMR is concerned, they've taken a few hits, as well. Don't forget that Francine Langstrom is now a free woman, and that The Question took down Senator Varlis, one of their biggest supporters."

"But we never seem able to deliver the coup de grâce," Olivia said. "We win these small victories, but the bastards are always kicking."

"That's what war is, one battle at a time, until you win completely eventually," Bruce said. "And sometimes, the key to victory is as simple as outlasting the bastards."

"Well, here's to fighting the good fight," Olivia said, as she gave him a hug. "As long as you'll be at my side."

"Always, Sis, always. I'm in it for the long haul."

"We all are."

He felt her tense up while they embraced. And then Olivia released him and anxiously said, "Um, we have a visitor…."

Bruce whirled around to see Superman down on the center platform of the Batcave. The Man Of Steel waved at them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to intrude on a private conversation," Superman said.

"Not at all," Bruce replied, when he and Olivia joined him on the center platform. "I once said you were always welcome here, and I meant it." They shook hands in greeting. "Besides, we're all still a little jumpy over the last surprise visitor we had here."

"Yes, Chloe told me," Superman said grimly. "That's part of the reason why I stopped by. Are you guys all right?"

Bruce nodded. "Yeah, we're good. Thanks."

"How's Dick enjoying Metropolis?" Olivia asked. When Chloe returned home, Dick had gone back with her for the weekend. "Hope he's not the reason you're here!"

"No, not at all," Superman replied with a chuckle. "They're having a fine time. When I left, he was teaching Chloe and Lana some self-defense moves."

There was an awkward moment when Superman gazed at Bruce expectantly, as if he wanted to say something in private, but was too polite to ask Olivia to leave.

Yet Olivia seemed to sense this. "Excuse me," she said, "but I really should change. Will I see you later, Clark?"

"Sorry, but I'm on patrol. Just stopped off to discuss something with Bruce. Good seeing you, Inspector Benson."

"Good seeing you, too, Clark," she said, walking towards the elevator. Olivia glanced over her shoulder. "And please, call me Liv?"

Superman nodded with a smile. "Will do, Liv."

When they were alone in the Batcave, Bruce said, "Congratulations, by the way, on nabbing Magneto."

Superman shook his head. "I was merely the decoy. The X-Men actually caught him. It was Professor Xavier's plan, which was brilliant."

"I hear Waller's got him in her facility."

"Only until a special prison can be built for Magneto by Homeland Security. That brings me to the other part of the reason why I'm here."

"What would that be?"

"When I was helping the OHMR to hunt down Magneto, I noticed that several of their transports had lead-lined compartments. I managed to take a peek inside, without them knowing, and discovered they had a stock of Kryptonite bullets."

"And you're surprised by this?" Bruce asked. "Since Magneto's assault on Metropolis, the OHMR have proven themselves to be masters at stirring up paranoia over the meta population in the media."

"True," Superman said, as he began to carefully walk around the Batsuit, which was in display in the center of the platform. "But it reminded me of something. When you removed the Kryptonite from me that night, you placed it into your utility belt."

Superman pointed at the Batsuit. "Right there. I realized that you must have had a lead-lined compartment on your suit, because when you put the Kryptonite in, I no longer felt its effects." He glanced at Bruce sharply. "The OHMR have lead-lined compartments because they're paranoid, Bruce. Why do _you_ have them?"

"I never claimed I wasn't paranoid, Clark," Bruce said jokingly. Yet when Superman didn't laugh, Bruce grew serious. "I have a lead-lined compartment on my suit for the Kryptonite shard that I carry at all times."

Superman stared at him stunned silence for a moment. "Why would you carry Kryptonite, Bruce? Don't you trust me?"

"I trust you with my life, Clark. But the reason I carry it is very simple: there are moments when I may not be able to trust you. Like back when Darkseid and his little pony show took over Metropolis. He turned you, one of the world's most powerful beings, into his personal puppet."

"I fought him all the way," Superman said defensively. "I finally broke free and defeated Darkseid! I sent him, and his damned pony show, right back to…."

"I know, Clark," Bruce replied, as he held up his hands. "I know. But can you guarrantee me that something like that will never happen again? Can you promise me that you will never fall under somebody else's control ever again? Because, if you can, then I'll throw away my Kryptonite stash for good."

"Stash?" Superman looked shocked. "You've got a stash of this stuff? You really want to make sure you don't miss the target, Bruce?"

"You didn't answer my question, Clark."

"That's because I was avoiding it," he said bluntly. "The answer is no: I can't guarrantee that what happened with Darkseid will never happen again. And I now understand your point. I thought you were just being paranoid, like the OHMR."

"Fear and paranoia are the tools of my trade, Clark. I use them on my enemies, but I rarely use them myself. And you should know that I will only use the Kryptonite in the most drastic, and desparate of circumstances. And I will use it only to subdue you."

"Unless you have no other choice," Superman told him. "I mean it, Bruce. If the moment ever comes again when I lose it, and you find you have no choice, then do it. I'd rather be killed than cause the deaths of innocents."

"Let's hope we'll never have to cross that bridge," Bruce said.

He held out his hand, and Superman shook it.

"I'm sorry I doubted you," Superman said.

Bruce shook his head. "Already forgotten."

"Well, I've really got to go," Superman said. "I'm on planet-wide patrol, since there's nothing big happening in Metropolis, lately."

"Enjoy the lull," Bruce told him. "The crazies will come out of the woodwork soon enough."

Superman glanced back at him with a smile. "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

"I am," Bruce said. "There's always some nutcase out there, plotting his next move. Count on it."

**B&B**

"Senor Varlis!" Ricardo Deles said, a smile on his face. "Welcome to Santa Diego, my friend! Come, come inside, mi casa es su casa!"

James Varlis wiped the sweat from his brow with a handkerchief. He had been in the South American country for barely an hour, now, and the excessive heat and humidity was unbearable.

Deles led him to a balcony within his spacious home that overlooked a lavish courtyard that contained a mini forest of plants and wildlife. At least it was shaded and cool here. They sat at a table where Deles instructed one of his maids, a young girl named Maria, to get them iced tea.

"I am so sorry to hear of your troubles, my friend," Deles said. He was a tall, lean man with a mustache and a thick head of graying black hair. He was clad in a white suit with the shirt open at the collar. He was once the commanding general of the Santa Diegan Army who now served as a 'security consultant' for the government.

Varlis had met him back when he first visited Santa Diego as a junior senator on a fact-finding mission for the drug war. Once Varlis had seen the kind of power and influence that Deles enjoyed, he became fast friends with the man, who was still very much a general in everything but name.

"America is a beautiful country," Deles said, his voice tinged with regret, "but I fear it lacks any real sophistication and maturity in the sexual arts."

"That it does," Varlis said. He accepted the drink from Maria, staring at her long, bare legs in the process. He fleetingly imagined her taut young body writhing helplessly underneath his own, until Varlis forced himself to stay focused on why he arrived here. "I come with a request, my friend."

"Of course, anything for you, Senator Varlis."

Varlis smiled gamely. "I'm afraid I am no longer a Senator."

Deles made a disgusted grunt. "What happened to you was a travesty! As far as I am concerned, you will always be Senator Varlis. You have proven yourself to be a great friend to both me and my country time and time again. I am in your debt. Whatever you need, mi amigo, just name it."

'Good,' Varlis thought, satisfied, 'very good.'

"I can never get my old job back," Varlis said, after taking another sip of his iced tea. Laced with rum, it was very tasty. "But I want the next best thing: revenge."

Deles nodded solemnly. "Revenge on the self-serving bastards who made you lose your job? Do you know who they are?"

"I have a short list of people who'd I love to see dead. Beginning with the Batman."

Deles was so caught off guard he nearly fell out of his chair. "Batman? He made you lose your job?"

"I believe so. But whether he did, directly or indirectly, really doesn't matter," Varlis told him. "I still want him dead, along with a few other people. Do you have someone who could help me?"

Deles wagged his finger. "You require an assassin, mi amigo. Are you so sure that is what you want?"

"I want revenge…no, I want justice, Ricardo! Can you help me? Do you know of an assassin who's good enough to kill the Batman?"

Deles grew thoughtful. "There is a man here who hires himself out to the drug cartels. But he is a brute, a savage. They say he wasn't born, but that he was grown in some lab, like a Frankenstein monster. Which is most apt, because I've seen some of his victims, and he _is _a vicious, inhuman monster. Completely soulless."

"He's a soulless monster, eh?" Varlis said with a nod. "Sounds like my kind of guy. Can I hire him?"

"You don't hire him, you unleash him." Deles shook his head. "Are you sure this is what you want? I saw the way you looked at my girl, Maria. I could arrange for you to be with her tonight. Perhaps all you need is some time with a good woman. You should take some time off and just relax and think about what you are asking, my friend. Because, if we cross this line…."

"I'm well over the line, Ricardo," Varlis assured him. "I'm past the point of no return. I want to hire this monster to kill the Batman, and several others. Name your price."

"To unleash this man in America, Senor Varlis, the price will be very high."

"I'm more than prepared to pay it," Varlis said.

After a pause, Deles nodded. "Very well, I shall look into it for you. I shall have an answer for you by tomorrow."

"Excellent. Tell me, this soulless monster, does he have a name?"

"They call him Bane."

**The End**

_...for now._

_A/N: This was a fictional story with made up characters who should not be mistaken for any real people, living, or dead. _

_I like to thank all of you who wrote reviews for this story, as well as those of you who either favored this tale, or favored me. Thanks again. _


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